Welcome to the beta version of the new Women & Golf website. Our web monkeys are still hard at work and welcome your feedback.  

Advertisement

Assen WorldSBK: Front tyre error sinks poleman Lowes

Pata Yamaha’s Alex Lowes should have been ecstatic at his first Superpole win in WorldSBK but as disastrous race one saw him relegated from a leading role to 12th, after his team fitted the wrong tyre to his bike on the grid.

“My first pole but who cares because I want to win a race and be challenging at the front. I deserve to be there because I am doing a good job. Of course the first pole is nice but I want that first win also,” Lowes told bikesportnews.com.

His problem in the race was profound, as he dropped from second on lap two to finish 33 seconds behind the win.

Advertisement

“I had really extreme wear after five or six laps, but we made a mistake and put the wrong tyre in the bike. This is the truth, really. Not the correct tyre that we had been using all weekend. For some reason, somehow, it was the wrong tyre in the bike. It was beyond my control, I could do nothing.”

Lowes was definitely not keen to blame any of his technical crew, as he said, “You have seen how many times I have made mistakes. It was a tough day and I was riding really well.

“We had to change to the spare bike just before the start, so to get such a good start on a bike that I have not ridden, and be fighting at the front - I think I showed my speed. A tough day because it was beyond my control, so as a rider you are a bit frustrated.”

The bike swap to an unused spare machine is allowed in WorldSBK if there is a safety or crash damage concern, so it was decided to do it with Lowes just before the race as a precaution. “We were unsure if we were having a problem with the other bike so just to be safe, because the bikes are exactly the same, we chose the spare one.”

Lowes now has Sunday’s race two to turn his Superpole into a bigger prize, as both he and his team-mate Michael van der Mark – second at his home round in the opening race - chase their first WorldSBK race win at this level.

Articles you may like

Advertisement

More WorldSBK

Advertisement
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram