Alex Lowes Doubles Double on Wins at Phillip Island

Alex Lowes gets the World Superbike season off to a great start after securing 2 of 3 wins this weekend at Philip Island. In Race 2 the race came down to the final two laps after a delay and subsequent red flag that came out as a result of Jonathan Rea’s major crash incident at Turn 11. Additionally, Andrea Locatelli had to retire from the race due to a risky defensive maneuver against a pass attempt by Alex Lowes. However, as a result Locatelli went off at Turn 4 crashing out of the race. The DNF saw his run of weekend success come to an end.

Locatelli Discusses Off At the Hairpin at Phillip Island

“The feeling was amazing in Race 2, I think in the end this weekend we did a really good job and we never made any mistakes. Unfortunately, we are checking on the data and we don’t know yet what was the reason but the bike was in neutral – so then I was wide and when I tried to put again the gear, I made a mistake and I lost the rear. It is a big shame because everything was working well and it was just the last lap and we were fighting for the race win.

Feels a bit like a bad dream, but at the same time I want to say thanks to Yamaha and the team because we were working well during the weekend – we were fast in every condition and every session in front – so this is for sure something good for us and let’s see what we can do in the next race. We will be on track for two days of testing before the Barcelona round, we need to improve a little bit more but the confidence on my R1 is good so let’s see what we can do.”

Showdown at the Finish Line

The final lap of the race was full of action with Alvaro Bautista and Alex Lowes going head to head down to the wire. The pair pulled away from the battle for 3-4 on the penultimate lap. The margin for victory came down to the finish line with Lowes edging out Bautista by 0.048s. It was a positive race for Bautista who has seemingly been less than 100% leading up to Race 2.

Lowes was ecstatic after having won the Superpole Race earlier this weekend. “It has been a long time since our last win but we have been working hard,” Lowes Said. “In the Superpole Race I was really emotional, I think I was crying on the in-lap. On Race Two I felt I would have more chance if it was a longer race. I was a bit disappointed after the pre-race tests on Tuesday because my tire life looked good. We have been working really hard to make the bike smoother this year and easier to manage.

We cannot read too much into this final race…We know this is a special circuit, but you still have to manage the race well and the bike still has to look after the tire. I think mine was the best tire at the end of the race. Alvaro’s bike was moving a lot and he could not enter into corners. I sat there behind and tried to look after the tire as much as possible. I am obviously very happy. It has been a big, important winter, changing many small details. I am fit and strong now, improving my confidence. I did a good job today…To get two wins today was fantastic, and mixing it up there, I was really happy. The guys have done a fantastic job all weekend.”

Full Race 2 at Phillip Island Results Below