It has been a mixed 2024 campaign for Superbike World Championship rookie Sam Lowes. A former Moto2 challenger, Lowes made a calculated off-season move to the 2024 WorldSBK Championship with the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team. In a season punctuated by highs and lows, a massive high side in the Czach Republic left the 33 year-old with a fractured left collarbone. Forced to sit out the seventh round in Portugal, the Ducati Panigale V4 R rider will now look next weekend’s visit to Magny-Cours.
“The shoulder is good and it is getting better,” he said. “It has been a tough couple of weeks. It is the same shoulder that I injured in 2022 when I was fighting for a championship in Moto2. They advised me to skip Portimao and let it heal naturally. I had another X-ray yesterday, and I have a lot more movement now and I feel good. As a rider, four weeks off is always a long time. I’m feeling better, though. I’m back training and I’m riding next week and getting ready for Magny-Cours. There is light at the end of the tunnel. We know all of this is part of the job, but it is never nice.
“I’ve been looking at this time off we’ve had as a summer break period. We’ve had quite a bit of time off. Once we get to France, then we’ve got five races in maybe seven or eight weeks. It’s a pretty busy schedule. I’m a bit luck that my injury wasn’t later.”
After spending a decade in Moto2 from 2014 through 2023 (plus a single 2017 season in MotoGP), Lowes wanted a change and made the move, along with Marc VDS, to WorldSBK.
“Apart from the first four races, we’ve been pretty decent,” he said. “We were not quite at podium pace, but we had some sixth and seventh place finishes and were in that area. That’s not too bad, because I’m still learning and figuring things out, because the Superbike riding style is a little bit different. I also had a problem with my arm and I had an operation on that.
“Then we had the crash at Most, so the last two races have been a bit of a backstep. But things have been good. There is a lot to learn. At age 33, it is a privilege to be able to change championships. I have a lot to learn and something to go at. And I’ve come at a good time. The championship is going from strength to strength.”
From a machinery standpoint, a totally different experience coming from Moto2?
“It’s a lot different,” he says. “The Ducati is softer with a bit more movement. The tires are the big thing. They are quite a lot different to what we had in Moto2. Racecraft is a little bit different because the tires drop off more with the more power and the more weight and you have to be a little more patient.
“Also, we have the Superpole Race. It’s a 10-lap sprint on Sunday morning and it is an eye-opener. In Grand Prix the races are quite long. It’s a bit more steady. I shouldn’t say ‘steady’ because there is nothing steady about it. Nobody makes crazy moves because the race is so long. In the 10-lap Superpole Race, every corner is a battle, honestly. You come in and you never look at your pit board once during that race. You’re smiling the whole time. It’s great to be a part of.”
Currently 15th in the points and with five top 10 race finishes, Lowes is cognizant that the results in his freshman WorldSBK season have been tough to come by.
“Qualifying, we’ve been okay,” said Lowes. “Every race apart from the Czech Republic, we’ve been in the top 10 in qualifying and starting on the second or third row, For me, it’s like a little step. I think until I make that mental step in just riding the bike exactly right then we’ll be there. The class is so tight now. You’re never far away and I’m not quite riding the bike right. As soon as I make that step, which I’m working on, I’ll be there. It has been nine or 10 years of riding a certain way, so obviously it takes a bit of time. Then we’ll be there. I’m lucky to have a great team and a great bike.”
Five rounds remain, which to Lowes’ way of seeing things, is plenty of time to find his way onto the box in 2024.
“The podium is the goal,” he said. “Of course every rider on the grid wants to win. Over the year I have wanted to win and have done so, but hitting the podium is the first step. We’ve got Jerez and Aragon coming and those have been the most successful tracks for me in Grand Prix, so I’m really looking at those races. Fortunately for me, those races are right near the end of the season. They are two of the last three rounds and they’re probably my best two tracks. Being a rookie in the series this year, myself and the team should obviously evolve over the season. We’re looking to jump on the podium at them races and fight at the front and then be ready for 2025.”
His twin brother Alex, competing for the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK upon a Ninja ZX-10RR, is currently fourth in standings. A two-time winner thus far in ’24, Alex works closely together with his brother.
“Alex and me talk a lot,” says Sam. “He’s been great. We share the track together. He’s having a good season, which is mega. He helps me to understand things a bit quicker than maybe some people coming into a new series. We are so close off the track and it has been good to ride together on the track, and we’ll be doing more of that in these next five rounds. In the practice sessions and stuff, I can learn a lot from him, given his experience in the class. He’s also learning a bit from me and some of the things I do, coming from GP. I think it’s a good asset for us both to have each other and that we get along so good. It’s a good situation.”
While learning World Superbike is a process, Lowes believes there will be plenty of racetrack coming at him over the next few years.
“I’ve got a few more years left in me,” he said. “The good thing is that I am definitely back next year with a two-year deal. There is also a new Ducati out, which looks amazing. They’ve sort of done a little bit with it already. I’d love to have a real good season next year and then get on the new bike and then evaluate things after that. I’m fully into it. I’m fully loving it.
“I’m not thinking about anything other than the next races. I’m 33 and that is old in a lot of ways, but Alvaro Bautista is turning 40 next year and he is still winning. I think that if you can find the right feeling and confidence, you can keep going. When you’re winning, you can keep going. If you’re not winning, you have to stop. If I can get to the stage where I am I the top three and top five and winning races, I’ll keep doing it and keep loving it.”