While the majority of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field are enjoying a summer break, a handful of riders took to the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for a two-day test last week. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was one of these, with the British rider aiming to prepare for the upcoming Acerbis French Round at the same venue despite scorching conditions throughout the test.
The British rider has often found himself in the podium battle throughout 2026 and will aim to keep that going when racing resumes in a couple of weeks. Conditions at the test were scorching as a heatwave gripped France, with track temperatures above 60 degrees Celsius and air temperatures well into the high-30s barrier. However, the Lincoln-born rider believes those conditions will help him in the long run, even if it “didn’t feel like Magny-Cours”.
Lowes, who has seven rostrums to his name this year, revealed he worked on both the race and SCQ tyres throughout the two-day test which took place on Thursday and Friday last week, as well as some components on the forks. He did complete some longer runs on the second day of action as well, racking up the mileage as WorldSBK prepares to race at Magny-Cours in early September.
Reflecting on the test, Lowes said: “It was a really good test; it was nice to be back on the bike after a few weeks. It didn’t feel like Magny-Cours, it was properly hot! It was high 30s, I think it even hit 40 degrees one day, with mid-60s track temperatures. It was really good for us because we know those are conditions that I struggle in a little bit. It was a real positive test, nice to be back with the guys, be back on the bike. We tried many things, tried the race tyre, tried the SCQ tyre on the second day in the morning and did some good lap times. I feel like it was a productive test and hopefully we can use that to our advantage in a few weeks’ time. Everyone’s enjoying the break, so it was nice to get it all in and work on some things. We tried a few components on the forks which were positive. Everyone thought it was a good test. It was very hot, I didn’t do any race runs but a few longer runs on the second day and it was all good.”
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