Bold takeaway: Even a seasoned WorldSBK racer can feel a momentary blind spot that drags performance down—yet persistence and consistency still earned him a potential podium after Phillip Island testing. And this is why the next race will be so captivating...
Alex Lowes says there was one area where he felt “useless” during the WorldSBK test at Phillip Island, a result that surprised given his experience. Alongside his Bimota teammate Axel Bassani, Lowes finished the test inside the top six, ahead of the race scheduled for February 20–22.
On Tuesday afternoon, Lowes was noticeably slower in sector three, a part of the track where he typically shines. Speaking with WorldSBK.com, he explained the setback and his plan to rebound:
- “I want to try to improve a little bit in sector three.”
- “I was pretty useless this afternoon in that part of the track, which normally I’m quite fast, so I was clearly doing something wrong there.”
- “I’ve been doing this a long time, I try not to get too excited at the test, I didn’t make any mistakes, quite constant, and now we need to find that little bit more performance for this first race of the year.”
Despite the hiccup, Lowes believes podium potential remains. He has a history of strong results at Phillip Island, including three WorldSBK race wins there, and he feels the test indicated merit and momentum despite sector three’s issues.
BMW’s Danilo Petrucci echoed a similar assessment, showing optimism about the lap times posted by both Bimota riders and the KB998’s straight-line speed. Still, Lowes cautions there will be stiff competition—about ten riders who could contest the podium in such a tightly fought WorldSBK field.
Lowes framed the coming battle as a bar-to-bar contest, noting that a close fight would suit him well. He even speculated that a push from his brother, Sam Lowes, could be part of the mix, particularly if Bulega starts to pull clear.
Reflecting on the testing experience, Lowes characterized it as one of his more positive sessions at Phillip Island, despite the sector-three trouble—and he’s now eyeing a strong performance to kick off the year with a podium.
Background on the author: Alex Lowes joined Crash.net’s coverage team in August 2024 after two years with Visordown, where he reported on consumer and racing motorcycle news.
