Lowes impresses by seizing points on MotoGP debut at Silverstone
The Yamaha rider is already at Magny-Cours for a 2-day WorldSBK test with his team-mate Sylvain Guintoli
Monster Yamaha Tech3 team stand-in rider Alex Lowes strongly clinched a point scoring finish in his inaugural MotoGP appearance at his home Grand Prix at the high speed Silverstone circuit. Lowes kicked off his day with a run to third in the mixed conditions in the morning warm up, which filled the 25-year-old with confidence ahead of the 20-lap sprint. When the lights went out, the Briton charged forward, however, the race was stopped shortly afterwards due to an incident involving his teammate and another rider. At the restart, he leapt off the line as he completed the opening lap in 17th, and just two laps later, he moved up to 14th. Later on, he slipped back one position but remained fully focused as he looked to continue gathering as much experience as possible. Then with five laps left to run, he claimed 13th as he battled with Eugene Laverty in the final moments of the GP. After a last lap dash, the Tech3 rider eventually met the chequered flag in 13th which marks a superb close to his first MotoGP race.
Alex Lowes: “Overall I have to be pleased with how the weekend has ended and I really learnt a lot in my first MotoGP experience, which I thought was amazing. The ever changing weather conditions made things a bit trickier at this event, and this was even more of a challenge for me because any condition would have been tough as it was my debut on the YZR-M1. With regards to the race itself, it was the first time that I ran with a full fuel load and also the first time that I completed more than six laps in a row. Therefore, of course, the learning curve was steep and it was tough. In the first few laps, I locked the front whilst braking a few times which made me lose a bit of confidence, but after that, I tried to understand the changing behaviour of the bike regarding the fuel and tyre life. I also watched the guys around me and I learnt a lot. In the end, I finished 40 seconds back from the leader and 20 from Lorenzo in my first GP race, which is positive, but the main objective was to reach the flag and I also claimed a few points. I feel that I could have ridden better, but maybe I am being a bit too negative on myself. Plus, I didn’t know what to expect here so I shouldn’t be harsh for not understanding everything immediately. However, I am a racer! Now I have a few days to digest what has happened so that I can be stronger in San Marino. I have to give a special thanks to the whole Tech3 team who did a great job this weekend and I am thankful for the chance."
The Brit is now undertaking a two days test at Magny-Cours with the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team.
