As the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship continues to write its own headlines in a dramatic season of action, attention for some has turned to 2024 already, particularly after the latest news. Three-time Moto2™ World Champions Marc VDS Racing will expand their racing operations next year and become the latest team to join the 2024 WorldSBK grid. The rider of choice is their multiple-Grands Prix winner Sam Lowes, who will join identical twin brother Alex on the grid next year. Less than 24 hours after the news, Sam explained the reason behind the move, his excitement about a new chapter and, of course, racing against his brother.
“ONE OF US WILL BE LESS HAPPY EACH WEEKEND” – the double vision racing rivalry begins!
“Firstly, it’s fantastic to be coming to WorldSBK after quite a lot of years in Moto2™, I had one season in MotoGP™ too but it’s quite a long time in that paddock,” began a smiling Lowes, who first entered Moto2™ in 2014. “Ever since I left WorldSSP in 2013, it’s always been on my mind to come back to World Superbike and try and have a nice time there. To be able to do it with the same team, a fantastic team at that, and a great brand of motorcycle in Ducati, is something that quite a lot of riders at the moment would be happy and proud of. I’m looking forward to it a lot; I’ve always followed it, as the same amount of time I’ve been in Grand Prix, Alex has been in World Superbike, and I have followed every race weekend over the last ten years. I know we can do a nice job.
“On racing Alex, we are so close! I’ve already texted him ten times today and we speak all the time. To race together will be something very fun; of course, one of us will be less happy each weekend when one of us finishes in front of the other. It will be such a great feeling and privilege to race against him on the world stage. It’s something that a lot of people would have dreamed of this, including us when me and him were kids! To be in WorldSBK, against each other and at a good level! If you’re in front or behind each other, it’s going to be fun but it won’t make any difference to the end result – unless he’s in front of me on the last lap going into the last corner, then maybe! I’m only joking; we do a lot of stuff together, so we’ll be fine!”
“IT WAS A NO-BRAINER… MARC HAS A BIG PASSION” – the story of the switch
Speaking about the set-up of the team, founded and owned by Belgian beer businessman Marc van der Straten, Sam confirmed it would be just one bike: “It will definitely be just one rider; it’s quite a big thing to set up a new team in a new class. Especially when we finish at the end of this year in November and, if the schedule is the same like it normally is, it will be the end of February for our first race in WorldSBK. This is quite a small turnaround in that sense. I was looking at WorldSBK; I had a couple of options to go there in Independent teams and potentially also in a factory team, so I was talking to them and that’s when it got spoke about. The team looked a bit at that and just before Le Mans, they mentioned that they’d be interested in going and what would I think about that. It was a funny time as I had an offer to stay in Moto2™ but also an offer to go to WorldSBK. It came about, then evolved and things snowballed and it’s hard to hide those sort of things!
“Marc has a big passion for racing and Ducati were very good with him and pushed the project early on at Le Mans. In a WorldSBK weekend, you’re in the top class, which is something that Marc will look at too. I had to decide whether to go in a different direction in WorldSBK or with the team but for me, it was a no-brainer. The team do everything and whilst it’s not factory, I will have everything I need and it will be like a factory team in my opinion. It’s perfect for me to go with these people, I have a great relationship with some of them in the team and to go with Marc, it wasn’t much of a decision, it was just the right thing to do.”
“I STILL HAVE A LOT TO GIVE” – Lowes on the strange decision-making moment
Winning a race might not always be the best time for career decision, but the British rider was clear after WINNING at Jerez in Moto2™ earlier on in 2023: “I’ve been a long time in Moto2™ and I’ve felt that some weekends, I haven’t got the most out of myself due to the track time and the way the schedule is. After winning at Jerez and how I felt there, riding well and on my good days, still winning races. It’s so strange to say but on my in-lap, going to the podium and everything, I made a decision that I wanted to go to Superbike. That moment felt amazing but I still have a lot to give and I feel fast and competitive. To go to a new class, riding like that, it can be something nice.”
“I’LL DEFINITELY RIDE A DUCATI THIS YEAR” – preparation pivotal for this new chapter
Talking about when he’s going to get his first taste of Ducati power, Lowes confirmed it wouldn’t be until after his current season is done: “It’ll be the end of November or December, as that’s when we finish but I will have a training bike. Obviously, it will be less spec than the Superbike, but I can ride it at the end of the year. I don’t know about the testing schedule or all those things; I’ll definitely ride a Ducati this year but it will be well after I’ve finished with Moto2™. I’m looking forward to it and I can’t wait, but the first thing is to get some good results to add to my achievements in Moto2™ so that I can finish in a happy way.”
“I KNEW ONE DAY I’D TRY TO COME BACK” – a circularity to his career
Casting his mind back to his title success ten years ago, Lowes knew he’d be back in WorldSBK one day: “When I won the World Supersport Championship a long time ago in 2013, I knew that one day I’d try to come back and get some nice results in Superbike because as a British rider, we have a good following in BSB but we’ve had many great riders in WorldSBK over the years. I think as a British rider, we look at WorldSBK in a bit of a different way and it was always something that I had in my mind to do and I feel like now is a good time.”
“I WAS IN THAT PADDOCK AND IT’S LESS OF A JUMP” – coming back ‘home’
Speaking of the new format he’ll need to adapt to, he said: “It’ll be different and take some understanding but sometimes now, it frustrates me. I had a good weekend, good qualifying and then on Lap 1, someone took me down and it was race over, and you don’t have a chance to have another go. I’m looking forward to the aspect of having more races; of course, I know a lot of the tracks from WorldSSP in the past but there are some new ones that I’ll have to learn. For me, I feel that because it’s where I did my early years of racing, I was in that paddock and it’s less of a jump compared to the guys that have never been there. For them, it was a completely new paddock, with new people etc. The format will be different for me because it’s changed since I was there but the idea of travelling less and racing more is something I like. Last night, I was down at my local kart track in 33 degrees heat on my pitbike, on my own, riding round. My wife said ‘what are you doing, it’s too hot’ but I love riding bikes. I’ve got a lot of motivation so if we can make it four races a weekend, it’d be nice!”
A breath-taking season is well underway, watch it all unfold with 50% off the WorldSBK VideoPass!
Source: WorldSBK.com