Lowes extends Yamaha WorldSBK contract for 2018 Season
The British rider will continue his partnership with team mate Michael van der Mark for a further year
Yamaha Motor Europe has announced that Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team's Alex Lowes has agreed a one-year extension to his contract that will see him stay with the team for the 2018 FIM Superbike World Championship.
Lowes has been an integral part of Yamaha's return to the WorldSBK championship since 2016 and has played a significant role in the development of the WorldSBK-spec R1. Impressing with his raw pace in 2016, Lowes has added consistency and podiums to his record in 2017. His spectacular performance at his home race at Donington Park, where he blasted through the field from last place to third, was a particular highlight so far in 2017 for the British rider and he is looking forward to continuing the progress he and the Pata Yamaha squad have made in 2018.
Dutch rider Michael van der Mark will line up alongside Lowes in the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team for the second year in succession, as he enters the second year of his two-year contract.
Lowes is clearly delighted to be making the move, but is also keen to point out the improvements he hopes to make within the series: “What's most important for me is that I want to be in a position to win the WorldSBK championship in the future. I believe that I can be world champion and honestly it's been a tough four years for me in WorldSBK. I believe that I can achieve a lot here, it has been difficult to not have that success. I've got a great relationship with Yamaha now and we're continuing to build that relationship. When the time is right and the we're ready I think that Yamaha and myself will be in a really strong position. I'm delighted to be staying here because it's the best option for me and all year it's where I've wanted to be for 2018. We made steps over the winter and we can keep making progress together.
For the rest of the WorldSBK season I just want us to get consistent results for the rest of the year and pick up another couple of podiums. My goal is to make sure that I finish fifth in the championships. It's strange for me to have that as my goal because I want to win races and be a champion but to be the best of the rest behind the Ducati and Kawasaki's is the target."
Follow how Lowes continues throughout the second half of the season all with the WorldSBK VideoPass, as the series makes it's much awaited comback in Germany from 18th - 20th August.
