After a nine-year stint in Moto2, which yielded 10 Grand Prix victories, 26 podium finishes, 19 pole positions and a career-best of third in the world championship, Sam Lowes has migrated over to the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike Word Championship for 2024.
“I always had a goal to race in World Superbike, but I chose to try the Grand Prix paddock,” said Lowes. “I’m happy and proud that I’ve had such a good GP career, and I’ve enjoyed it a lot. But I feel now it’s a great time to move across to WorldSBK to try a different machine and learn how to ride a Superbike. I also believe in myself and know I can achieve good things.”
The quiet confidence shared by Lowes and the entire Marc VDS racing team was brought into sharp focus at the Pirelli Catalunya Round when Lowes took control of the lead in Race 1 and held station up to lap five when he crashed out on turn five. Even though Lowes lamented the miscue, down deep, he knew that he and the Ducati Panigale V4 R both have the right stuff for a successful season.
“At Barcelona we should have really been there,” said Lowes. “Fighting for the podiums is great. And if you’re on the podium, you can fight for wins.
Currently 13th in WorldSBK points after two rounds, Lowes will look to the TT Circuit Assen rounds on April 20 and 21 to further gain momentum in his goal to become a WorldSBK Champion.
“[The change] has come at a good time for me,” he said. “It’s new motivation, new changes and a new series and a very different series. We get three races a weekend. There is a different format and different bikes and different riders and different tires. There has been a lot of change for me and I’m 33 years-old now and it has been mega timing. It’s like starting again in some way, and I think it has all given me that refresh for another few years. Yes, I’m really, really enjoying it.”
Looking at the 2024 WorldSBK season as a blank sheet of paper, Lowes has quickly come to terms with the Marc VDS Racing V4 90-degree Desmodromic-powered Ducati motorcycle.
“In some of the ways, the differences between Moto2 and World Superbike were probably more than I thought,” said Lowes of leaving behind his Triumph 765cc inline-triple Moto2 bike. “With the bike and the tires, they’re quite a lot different to what I’m used to. Obviously there’s a bit more power with this bike than the Moto2 bike, and there is also a lot more weight. This bike weights 35 kilos more than the Moto2 bike. And the Pirelli tire compared to the Dunlop tire is very different.
“There has been a lot to learn and everything has been going more or less okay. The final results have not been mega, but the signs have been good and my speed is good. Yeah, it’s a great series and I’m proud to be part of it. It’s all obviously new to the team, as well, and I think we’re growing into it nicely. In the next race you should see some better results and that will be a very good feeling.
“I’m encouraged by the results so far. In Barcelona, I led two of the races. In one of the races we had a small issue with the tire and it was a long race and in the end the tire was dropping off a lot. That’s just something I need to learn. This is new to me. In Moto2 we were used to doing the best laps at the end and managing tires a bit differently. It’s just a learning curve. I had an unfortunate crash out of the lead in race one at Barcelona and that hindered us a little. At the minute, it’s our first year as a team and we’re fighting at the front and leading races and I think that is positive and it shows that we have the speed to do it.
“I think World Superbike is more similar to Moto2 because Moto2 is full of young guy that are crazy. The races are very fast, especially the short race, with a lot of passing and a lot of good maneuvers whereas in MotoGP there is such a high level of lap time differentials. There is not as much overtaking, but obviously the level is extremely high. In overtaking, the character of the Superbike production bike is a bit easier. I think this makes for exciting racing. You’re either going forward or going backwards. Someone is passing you if you’re not passing the guy in front of you. It’s like when you’re playing with your friends when you’re training on little bikes. That’s what it is. You sort of do the whole race with a smile. You’re looking at your pit board and there are three laps to go and you really feel like you’re ready to start. Yeah, that’s a nice feeling.”
The 2024 World Superbike Championship will mark its conclusion at Jerez in October. Lowes is confident both he and the Marc VDS Racing team in the mix for the FIM Gold Medal.
“Yeah, we definitely can win,” he said. “I think the title will be tough this year because there are two or three tracks that I don’t know. There are some things with the pit stop races and with the qualifying tires and some things I’m just not ready to take the maximum potential from it. I need to do all of this to learn it a little bit. There are a few situations where I just need to learn, and I’ll be learning on the job. That’s just normal, I think.
“We can definitely win races and we can definitely fight for podiums at a lot of the races. At Barcelona we should have really been there. We should learn everything, make the mistakes this year with myself and the team and all of us all together. We’ll put the mistakes out of the way and learn the tracks. Now I’m back here and I’m happy to be here and I’m really looking forward to try and get that title to match up with my Supersport one. I’m proud to be part of and I think definitely by my second year, we’ll be one of the best teams and on the level with the best teams in the category. After just two races I feel like we are really close and that is something that they should be proud of.”