After displaying strong pace in race two of Thailand’s Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) round last weekend, Alex Lowes thought he could challenge four-time defending champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) for runner-up honours.

It was an impressive weekend for the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team talent as he wound up with a trio of third place finishes, however the British ace acknowledged more work needs to be done to bridge the gap on Rea and dominant rookie Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

“I was really happy with race two today,” said Loses. “I felt really good for 12 or 13 laps and I thought I might be able to challenge Johnny for second with the pace I had, but then I started struggling a bit near the end and had to roll off a little and take advantage of the gap to the group behind. Overall, it’s been a great weekend, for me and for Michael.

“He pushed me really hard in the race yesterday and to come from tenth on the grid to finish fourth in the Superpole race was difficult for him. We’ve both done a really solid job for the team, but we need to continue working just as hard when we get back to Europe if we’re to close the gap to the front two guys.”

Following two rounds, Lowes currently sits third in the championship classification as the WorldSBK heads to Aragon in Spain for round three of the series, scheduled for 5-7 April.