SAM LOWES: ‘I WANT TO WIN’
Lowes is on the back foot due to injury, but with a 20 race season it’s still all to play for
Despite going into the season with an injured shoulder, sustained in testing, 29-yearold Brit Sam Lowes maintains he’s well placed for his best ever year in the ferocious Moto2 category.
It’s been a difficult two years since his return from MotoGP, however Lowes now finds himself on the title-winning Marc VDS machine – with a two-year deal. If he’s going to add a Moto2 title to his World Supersport crown the the next two years may be his best opportunity to do so. “Moto2 is a really tight, tough class so even though I’m not coming off the greatest year, there’s still plenty of potential there.” Lowes said. “The next two years are big for me because it can make a lot of difference. Obviously, I want to win and if I have a good couple of years here, and then a lot of things can happen.
“At the same time, it can go the other way, so it’s nice to know that it’s in my hands and I’ve got all the tools I need. It’s better to be under pressure to do well with the best team than under pressure to do well without the best team. I work hard, I put everything into it, and I’ll do my best. Pressure is something you have but I want to win, I’ve always wanted to win”
Another advantage going into the new season is that Lowes now has a year under his belt with the Triumph engine. He’ll also have a teammate, Augusto Fernandez, to work with – a luxury he hasn’t always had.
“The Triumph is good! It was nice because you had a bit more power, you could ride it a little more stop/start. With the Triumph, you’ve got enough torque to pass someone, stop it, get out and not lose so much time. The racing is better and it’s more fun to ride. “It ‘ll be a massive asset for me to have a teammate because it’s still only the second year of the Triumph. That will help me a lot. There were a few tracks last year where I was so fast in three out of the four splits, I was always missing that little bit and we had no data to compare with. Fernandez is a real nice guy. He’s won races like I have so he’s at a great level and I don’t see any reason for us to have problems.”
Lowes will go into the 2020 campaign with little pre-season testing under his belt, recently hinting that he’ll hit top form at the beginning of the European season. Such is the unpredictable nature of the class, it doesn’t mean he’s out of the title picture even if he won’t be a full fitness for this weekend’s opening race.