Britain’s Alex Lowes has outlined his ambitions for this year’s Suzuka Eight-Hours and that is only a win will do.
The World Superbike star joins reigning champions Kats Nakasuga and Pol Espargaro in the Factory Yamaha team but will have to contend with best mate Leon Haslam, who rides for the works Kawsaki outfit this year.
“It’s really simple; I want to win. I know the Eight-Hours is a really hard race, but we’ll all do what we have to do. That’s what we’re focused on now,” said Lowes, speaking after the final test.
“I feel really comfortable on the bike, so my motivation is high and I’m really enjoying being out there riding. I couldn’t beat Nakasuga-san’s time in the last session, but for me the goal wasn’t to get the fastest lap time. I was more focused on being able to do fast, consistent laps, which I did. So I’m quite satisfied.
But right after I put fresh tires on and headed back out in the last session, I got caught up with some slower riders. If that hadn’t happened I could have probably been closer to Nakasuga-san’s time. Our team really is one of the best. Nakasuga-san and Pol are great riders and our mechanics and staff are outstanding.
“I feel great on the bike too. So for me this was a perfect test. All that’s left now is to concentrate hard and ride as best we can in the race.”
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