Sam Lowes: WorldSBK fuel flow rules “make no difference”

Sam Lowes says he’s “not felt anything” from the fuel flow reductions imposed on Ducati this year in WorldSBK.

Ducati and BMW are the only two World Superbike manufacturers to have been impacted by the fuel flow regulations this year, which are new for the 2025 season.

Toprak Razgatlioglu said on Friday at the UK WorldSBK that he felt Ducati was impacted less than BMW by the changes, which amounted to 1.5kg/h at Donington after the third checkpoint of the season.

Lowes didn’t directly agree with Razgatlioglu’s opinion, but he did say that he hasn’t noticed much difference in his bike’s performance over the course of the season.

“If I’m being 100 per cent honest, until now I’ve not felt anything and tracks like this [jt] makes no difference in my opinion,” Lowes said after Race 2 at Donington.

“It’s more at the end, fifth and sixth gear, at the end of the straight. Even Misano, I felt it a little bit, potentially – more on the data.

“I know we had a drop here this weekend – my opinion, it’s just my opinion, it’s made no difference.”

Lowes suggested that the rules are not the right way to balance performance in WorldSBK, echoing similar comments from Alvaro Bautista and Nicolo Bulega at Donington.

“I’m not a technical guy, I don’t understand those things, but I’m all for the balancing rules, I understand that, I want a tight championship, I love this sport and want it to be tight.

“But I’m not sure it’s really the way to go, but I’m not really the guy to get into that. Until now, I’ve not felt a difference.”

He added: “I think that the balancing rules are correct [because] we want a tighter field, but I don’t know the way it is now it makes that much difference – my opinion, my feeling on the bike, maybe I can’t feel stuff that well, but at the minute it doesn’t make that much difference to me when I can pass and my bike feels fast, it feels strong.”

Lowes also added that he doesn’t believe balancing rules should be used to prevent the best rider from winning.

“Toprak [Razgatlioglu], honestly, [...] the way he’s riding – give him a bike that’s the same speed as others in the straight and he can make the difference,” Lowes said.

“I’m all for the balancing rules, and obviously sitting on a Ducati it’s easier to take a higher opinion because you’re on the best bike.

“But the best rider should win.

“When you come to a track like this and you watch how Toprak’s riding, even Bulega to be honest in some races this year – they’re riding the best, on the best bikes, but they’re riding the best, doing the best job.

“So, sure, in some places it’d be nice to be tighter, but the best rider should win.”