Sam Lowes out of Spanish WorldSBK despite front row qualifying

Sam Lowes has been ruled out of the Spanish WorldSBK after being declared unfit following Superpole, in which he qualified on the front row.

Lowes took part in the Superpole session but completed only one run. It was enough to put him on the front row, but Lowes was visibly struggling in the garage after that one and only stint.

It was after the Superpole session that Lowes was declared unfit, as has now been confirmed by WorldSBK.

Everyone behind Lowes in the Superpole standings will move up one position, most notably Alex Lowes who will inherit the last spot on the front row for Race 1 and the Superpole Race, and is also now highly likely to finish sixth in the World Superbike riders’ standings due to his brother’s inability to participate this weekend.

Speaking to the WorldSBK world feed broadcast after the Superpole session, Lowes did not indicate that he was expecting to miss Race 1.

“I love this place, I love racing here,” he said.

“It’s a shame that I’m struggling a bit with my ribs and to do the laps in a row is quite difficult for me at the minute so we have to make a good plan for later on. 

“Happy with the speed; obviously Bulega was very fast, Toprak [Razgatlioglu] as always.

“We’ve been quick all weekend but I just need to make a good plan for later to see if I can hang in there for 20 laps.”

Lowes had already been struggling in Jerez from Friday’s practice sessions, but with the season ending on Sunday he was keen to try and finish the weekend, especially considering his promising speed.

“I’m struggling still a bit with my ribs; for the performance I’m pretty strong but for the race pace I’m struggling a little bit and I’m not sure if I can do the distance,” Lowes told WorldSBK.com on Friday evening in Jerez.

“In Estoril I made quite a big drop overnight from the Friday to the Saturday but let’s see for [Saturday]. 

“It’s the last race, I’m all-in, so the target obviously is to do the race and do the best I can. I’m expecting the last six or seven laps to be quite difficult.”

Lowes explained on Friday evening that he was aware his condition could worsen for Saturday, but he was expecting to at least do Race 1.

“If I feel like I did today [Friday] I will participate and start and do my best because I did a lot of good laps,” he said.

“It just depends how I feel in the morning because in Estoril I made a drop overnight. A lot easier for me here [at Jerez]: Estoril’s a track I only did last year and I didn’t have many references and the last part of the track with the slow chicane I was struggling quite a lot. 

“I’m pretty sure I will do the first race tomorrow but if I wake up or struggle to sleep tonight and wake up difficult, [...] I’m lucky to have a great team behind me, they’re not pushing me to do more than I can. 

“The only frustrating thing is I feel like I’m third on pace, I feel like you’ve got the top-two guys that have been the top-two guys all year, and I feel like I’m sort of the third guy with a bit of advantage, maybe Iannone a little bit. 

“So, it’s hard to not race.”

Lowes joins Danilo Petrucci on the sidelines, the Barni Ducati rider having been ruled out on Friday due to his ongoing recovery from a hand injury sustained before Estoril.