YAMAHA ON THE FRONT FOOT
Lowes takes pole while team-mate enjoys double podium delight
‘I would have traded pole for two podiums’
Acareer-first pole position for Alex Lowes and double podium finish for Michael van der Mark meant Assen was Yamaha’s best weekend of 2018 so far. It was no fluke and it looks like the blue bikes will continue to fight at the front in 2018. After becoming the 65th rider in history to claim a WSB pole, Lowes’ results of 12th and 14th did his performance no justice whatsoever. On Saturday, engine fears prompted a rushed switch to his second bike, only for the wrong front tyre to be fitted in a highly embarrassing mix-up. The mistake saw him slump out of podium contention. And on Sunday, Lowes went for a new hard compound tyre. A choice he regretted.
“I know how fast I am,” Lowes said with a smile. “I was really frustrated after the race because I take everything personally. In my job you have to. The buck stops with me. I’m annoyed because I don’t feel this was my fault. We have messed up what could have been a really good weekend.” Lowes told MCN: “The harder tyre for race two felt good in warm-up, but it was a lot cooler then,” he said. “It was a team decision, but it turned out to be the wrong decision. Michael did a great job but I could have matched him. I pushed too hard, crashed, then got back on. It was fantastic to get pole position, but I would have traded that for two podiums.” After starting the year with an improved version of the 2017 bike, the 2018 R1 didn’t arrive until Thailand where the riders enjoyed a double podium in the second race.
And Lowes is optimistic that this is just a sign of even better things to come. He added: “We were strong in Australia. In Thailand, we had the electronic upgrade. Aragon is very technical and there was rain on Friday. We are starting fresh at every track against guys who have loads of data. Having three practice sessions on Friday is welcome, but it is important they are dry so that we can maximise our potential.”
Van der Mark’s contribution had the 60,000-strong Dutch crowd on their feet. They were not disappointed as the Rotterdam man finished second to Jonathan Rea on Saturday, just metres behind the triple World Champion. And the home hero had another strong showing on Sunday with a fighting third place.
Although Yamaha has the opportunity to make a concession upgrade to its engine, Lowes revealed that this was not discussd by the team during the Assen weekend. But the squad could use this week’s Brno test to consider such an update.