Securing his fourth podium of 2018 after a strong superpole session, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) was able to use the lessons learnt from Friday’s free practice sessions and fought right until the end to secure a trophy around Losail International Circuit.

Getting a steady start in the race, Lowes had Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) to battle against, and wasn’t prepared to give up the podium finish he had in his sights. Putting on an electric battle under the floodlights, the fight boiled down to the final laps. Lowes was able to dig deep and conserve his tyres and secure the podium finish.

“It’s a fantastic battle and I really enjoyed the last few laps with Eugene,” begins Lowes. “So thanks to him for that. To be honest he was a bit faster than me at the end of the race and I couldn’t quite stay with him, but I dug deep and I saw that his front tyre was sliding a lot and it just left the door open for me to make a move. I really enjoyed it, it’s been a tough middle part of the season so to get back on the podium is great and I’m looking forward to trying and doing it again tomorrow now.”

Continuing to explain his pace, he added: “On Friday I used the new front tyre and honestly it tore up quite badly, so I had quite a lot of experience from the work I did on Friday. I chose a different tyre for the race and this was positive for me, and it allowed me to be strong at the end, so tomorrow we just need to work more on the rear of the bike.”

Regarding the battle from the third row tomorrow: “I’m always quite strong at the end but we still need a good start because everyone is so fast, but I’ll try to get a good start, make some moves early on and then just enjoy the race by moving forwards as many places as I can.”

Follow the action from the final race of 2018, and see if Lowes can make it a fifth podium of 2018, all on the WorldSBK VideoPass.