Sam Lowes already ‘on the level I need to be in some areas’

Sam Lowes says his first test aboard a Ducati WorldSBK machine ‘was very positive’ despite tricky conditions.

07 Dec 2023

Lowes rode his Panigale V4 R for the first time on Tuesday and chose not to head out on Monday at Jerez.

Able to complete 65 laps, half of which were with wet tyres, Lowes told WorldSBK.com: “We only did 65 laps at Jerez on Tuesday and on Monday, we didn’t ride at all because of the conditions. I started with rain tyres and did about 30 or 35 laps with those, then changed to the slick tyre.

“The conditions weren’t so good, particularly at Turn 2, Turn 9, Turn 13, which were quite wet but the other parts of the track were dry and I was able to ride and get the first sensations.

“Considering the conditions, it was a very positive day; I felt very comfortable on the bike straight away which is something that I was quite surprised about.

“There are some things that I need to adapt with my riding style in comparison to Moto2™, and probably not the areas I actually thought.

“Where I thought I’d need to work on, I was already quite good. There are lots of things to think about and work on and obviously, you need time and laps; 30 dry laps is not so much, especially when it was quite patchy.”

Although the first sensations were good, Lowes knows that plenty of work is still needed in order to be competitive in his first season.

The 2024 grid is arguably the best WorldSBK has ever amassed, so understanding the tyres in particular will be big when it comes to his success.

Speaking about the key areas to improve as he adapts more to the bike, Lowes said: “Where I still need to work is to understand the tyres and electronics more and to adapt my style to the Superbike.

“The strengths were that in some corners and in some areas of the bike, I was doing very, very well, on the level that I need to be.

“I just smiled all day, enjoyed it, was nervous but it was nice to get out and get the first day out of the way.

“I look forward to January and it’s quite a long wait now but in the end, the first race is at the end of February.

“We have a lot of work to do in that side but very positive, looking forward to it and we can look into our first season and have high goals.”