DNF for Sam Lowes after “desperate” move in Czech WorldSBK Race 1

Sam Lowes says Alberto Surra’s move that resulted in his retirement from Race 1 at the Czech WorldSBK was “desperate” and “strange”.

Lowes and Surra were battling over fourth when the former made a move on the inside at turn 15 on lap four. Surra stayed around the outside to have the inside at turn 16, but slid wide in the corner and made contact with Lowes, who fell.

Surra got a long lap penalty for the incident and finished ninth, while Lowes was out on the spot.

“I don’t want to get into it,” Sam Lowes told WorldSBK.com after Race 1 in Czechia when asked about the incident.

“The reason he was up there in the beginning is because he towed behind me in qualifying – he did a good lap, so [...] well done to him.

“It was a bad move, that’s it. In the end, he was dropping back, anyway, so it was a strange move. 

“I don’t want to get into it too much. 

“If you actually look at the camera angle behind he went a bit straight, he didn’t make the corner anyway. 

“Long lap penalty around here is a couple of seconds, he didn’t lose much time. This is the problem nowadays: many different things happen on-track, people get one long lap, two long laps, and it’s good in racing because it keeps people in the race.

“I like it on one side, but sometimes the penalty is more than not. At the end of the day, you can’t do much more than that: give him a long lap and let him finish the race. 

“I don’t mind close racing. [...] If he’d have done that to me with two laps to go I’d have zero problem, completely. 

“On lap three when, honestly, he did a good first lap but after that he was missing all the apexes, he was struggling – I think he had a different rear tyre in which didn’t look like it was working, to be fair. 

“For me, it was a desperate move, it was a strange move, but there’s no point getting more into it. I should’ve been more in front and we’ll try and do better tomorrow.”

Lowes’ DNF combined with a podium for Yari Montella means the British rider’s advantage in third place in the WorldSBK riders’ standings ahead of the Superpole Race on Sunday morning is just one point.