Donington BSB: Lowes takes race one victory at Donington

Alex Lowes has taken victory in the first MCE British Superbike race at Donington, winning from Shane Byrne and James Ellison in a close but undramatic fight for the podium.

The Samsung Honda rider led from the first lap, but was never able to pull out more than a second from the chasing pair. However, with both Lowes and Byrne safe in the Showdown, and Ellison on the verge of grabbing his spot, none of the three were prepared to fight hard for the win.

Taking the podium credits, Byrne said afterwards that although he was stronger in parts of the course, hitting a false neutral at Coppice on the last lap neutered his lined-up move, and that a do-or-die move for one podium credit wasn’t worth the risk.

Lowes, forced to lead the entire race, said afterwards that he didn’t know it was Byrne close behind him, but reiterated what the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki racer had said.

“If we’d been in the Showdown, I’d have expected him to make a move on the last lap, but at this point in the season we just need to get through, enjoy this race, and prepare for the serious stuff to start in Assen.”

In the battle for the Showdown spots, the fight between teammates James Westmoreland and Jon Kirkham intensified as they took fifth and sixth places behind Josh Brookes to close the difference between the Buildbase BMW riders to only four points. Westmoreland’s fastest lap of the race will also see him take pole position for the second time this weekend.

Tommy Bridewell, an outside bet for the Showdown, was forced out of the race with electrical problems while battling with Westmoreland, ending his efforts to make the top six. Ryuichi Kiyonari, fighting to maintain his Showdown spot too, was able to recover just enough from a disaster of a race to take three points in 13th.