Dutch WorldSBK Race 1 crash “frustrating” but “part of the game”

Marc VDS Ducati’s Sam Lowes was on pole position for the first time in WorldSBK in Race 1 at Assen, but his Race 1 was brought to an early end due to contact with Alvaro Bautista.

Bautista, for his part, took the blame for the incident, in which he tried to pass Lowes, lost the front, crashed, and took Lowes with him into the gravel trap of turn nine.

For Lowes, it was a DNF that brought with it a special amount of frustration because of the potential he appeared to have.

“I knew that Nicolo [Bulega] had more pace than me,” Lowes told WorldSBK.com after Race 2.

“Even though I was on pole position I didn’t expect to be fighting for victory, but I thought third or fourth was my pace.

“Because in FP2 when I did the long run I struggled a lot with the front tyre, I chose to use the SC2 in the race, so the first laps I knew I’d miss a bit and then come forward.

“But, unfortunately, we had an incident with Alvaro [Bautista] – he tried to pass, he lost the front and took me out. It’s like that.

“I’ve been racing a long time, I’ve been on both sides of it – it can happen, he didn’t mean to do it, it’s part of the game.

“But it’s frustrating for me because the fact that I could even be there [in the front group] with the hard front [tyre] at the beginning, and I saw everyone struggle at the end, I was maybe in a nice position to fight maybe for the podium or at least I was there to be in the front, and this is the team’s goal.

“It’s frustrating, but I’m not going to say any words against anybody. We’ve spoke, he apologised. It’s a part of the game, it’s not a problem.”

Superpole lap “my maximum” for maiden pole

Lowes’ highlight of Saturday was clearly Superpole, where he took his first pole position in World Superbike.

The British rider said the lap he did for pole position was his “maximum” and something he’s “proud of”.

“When I crossed the line on the first lap and saw a 1:32.5 I thought ‘This is my maximum’ – it was more than I expected,” Lowes said.

“I’m really happy to be back in the momentum, to be back in the confidence to make laps like that. It’s been two or three years, in Moto2, since I felt the confidence to put those laps in.

“So that’s something I’m really proud of, it’s been not the easiest transition to the Superbike but slowly I’m getting there and I’m happy about it.”

With rain in the forecast for Sunday, Lowes was unsure what to expect in the Superpole Race and Race 2.

“Tomorrow looks like it’s going to be a ‘proper Assen’ day,” he said.

“We all know that this track [when it’s wet] dries so fast, so it could be a tyre gamble, a pit stop, or just a little bit of a sketchy race.

“So, I think the goal in the Superpole Race, if it’s dry, will be to use the soft [rear] tyre and do the best 10 laps I can to start near the front in the main race.

“We missed the second part of the race today but I did do the work yesterday in FP2, so I feel still prepared for Race 2. I think Race 2 will be dry, but [even as I say that] you never know in Assen.

“I’m quite confident in the rain conditions, being from England I’ve had a lot of practice so whatever it is I’m confident and we just need two good races to roll onto the next one.”