Sam Lowes ahead of his Michelin debut: A smaller change than expected?

For Sam Lowes, the post-season test in Jerez marks the start of practical preparations for the tyre change in the Superbike World Championship. Today, Thursday, and on Friday, the Marc VDS team will also be gathering important insights for the 2027 season. The British rider will be trying out the new Michelin tyres for the first time and will then be able to compare his previous expectations with his own experiences.

Lowes had already explained to SPEEDWEEK.com why he is increasingly optimistic about the end of the Pirelli era. His assessment at the time was based on discussions with Michelin and riders who had already been out on the track with the new tyres.

“I think it’ll be good and that the difference won’t be quite as big as many initially thought. If you look at the MotoGP tyres, the difference compared to Pirelli is huge. But based on my discussions with Michelin – particularly with my brother, who’s already ridden on them, and with Iker (Lecuona), who spent a day testing them in Cremona – it seems to be a more forgiving tyre, closer to production spec. That’s just right for Superbikes,” explained Lowes in Cremona.

Lowes expects a significant difference compared to the MotoGP tyre

In doing so, the privateer Ducati rider makes a clear distinction between the familiar Michelin prototypes from MotoGP and the tyres that will be used in the World Superbike Championship in 2027. From his discussions, he also gained the impression that Michelin has the needs of amateur riders in mind.

“I believe Michelin wants to encourage more track day participants to use these tyres. That’s why I view the change positively. It will be a big change, but perhaps not as big as people initially expected. Everyone was perhaps a bit nervous. So far, though, things are looking quite positive. That’s nice – sometimes a change is simply a good thing,” the Briton noted.

One key unknown for him remained the feel of the front tyre – the clear strength of the Pirelli tyres. Without having done any laps himself, Lowes therefore didn’t want the feedback so far to be taken as a definitive verdict. “I was a bit nervous about the front tyre too. I haven’t ridden on it yet, so I don’t know. But I hear it’s a more forgiving tyre, closer to production and more rider-friendly. We’ll see,” emphasised the Marc VDS rider.

When asked whether the development was therefore moving more in the direction of a Bridgestone tyre for track days, Lowes at least confirmed the general direction he had gathered from the discussions. “Yes, in that direction. They’re trying to develop a tyre that track-day riders can also use. That’s ultimately the idea behind it. That’s why I think it’s the right way forward,” he explained.