The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s first race of the Acerbis French Round is in the books, and as riders return to boxes to crunch the data ahead of Sunday’s final two races, WorldSBK’s brotherly combo of Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) each have strong positives to build from. With 11 races left in the season, both brothers find themselves tied for fourth place in the Riders’ Championship, setting up an epic duel as the pair face off not only with one another, but with Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), who sits a not-so-distant 31 points ahead. Sunday will bring the final pair of races at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, and all three riders are looking to take shots at the final podium spot.
BATTLING FOR P4 BEFORE THE RESTART
Sam Lowes hit the ground running at Magny-Cours, landing P2 in both of Friday’s Free Practices, before hitting that mark again on Saturday morning to see lights out in Race 1 from second on the grid. He quickly fell down a pair of spots to P4 as his brother Alex and Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) made their way past on the first lap. He gave his brother a taste of his own medicine to regain the bronze-medal spot, where things stabilised with about a second between them over the next seven laps, before Tommy Bridewell's (Superbikes Advocates) careening Ducati Panigale V4R damaged the Turn 15 air fence, bringing out the red flags. When action resumed, the #22 hung with the #14 over the first three laps, but Lap 4 saw that gap double to six tenths, and later the Bimota rider fell behind Montella to finish in P5.
“I FEEL LIKE I’M THE THIRD FASTEST AT THE MINUTE”
Of the brothers, Sam has had more success this season, bagging eight podiums this year. His four DNFs have addled his points total in the standings, however. On his day, he has been able to do battle with the factory Ducati pair at the front, yet he will hope that inconsistent stretches such as at Balaton Park, where he failed to score, are a thing of the past. In that pursuit, Saturday was a strong result as not only did he outpace his brother, but he beat Montella to the podium, snapping his six-podium streak.
On his Saturday, Sam Lowes said: “I’m really happy with the lap in the Superpole session. In the main race, it went pretty much as I expected; the top two are a little bit faster than me, and I feel like I’m the third fastest at the minute. Alex was doing a good job before the red flag staying with me, but he got a little beaten up after the restart. I felt quite comfortable, but I’m missing a little bit to run with the front two. We need to keep working; I’m fast in every sector, but I'm missing a bit of consistency. We’ll analyse things tonight, but I think I can get a bit closer in the Superpole Race.”
“I WAS THINKING I COULD PUT A BIT OF PRESSURE ON HIM, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN FUN”
While his brother has seen more silverware come his way in 2026 compared to the #22’s sole podium from Phillip Island, his strength has been his consistency. He has finished 14 of the season’s 25 races so far in the top five, and with just one finish outside the top ten and three DNFs, he is a hard rider to build up a gap on even if he’s outpaced on the timesheets.
On Race 1, Alex Lowes said: “It was good honestly; the target is to fight for the podium, which isn’t too far away. Before the red flag, I was quite close to my brother. I had a bit of a battle with my brother, and I felt like I was in a comfortable position with 10 Laps to go. I was thinking I could put a bit of pressure on him; that would have been fun. In the restart, it wasn't quite as good; I was behind my brother at the start, but when Montella passed me, it took me out of my rhythm a bit. I’m fast on parts of the track that are quite difficult to pass at. It’s a big frustration; it’s not easy to race hard without a bike. I was on the limit trying to fight with those guys, and we have to be happy with fifth place. I think there are parts of the track I feel really strong; we can do a bit better tomorrow.”
Alex and Sam will return to the track on Sunday for the final two races in France in 2026! Tune in Live and OnDemand with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 70% off!