Thailand ‘should have been two podiums’ for Lowes

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki rider Alex Lowes says he should have been on the podium in both races in the second round of the World Superbike championship last weekend at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit.

Lowes managed to take his first podium of the year in the second race of the day, but finishes race one back in seventh after first tipping off and then being dropped a place for passing under a yellow flag.

“I’m really happy to be back on the podium – it’s a third place but for us it means a lot after Phillip Island! It really should have been two podiums today, I just made a small mistake because I was determined to catch Leon and get second. As a team we’ve all worked so hard but the result is that we are back on the podium and back in the front group, and if we can keep a bit more consistency like this for the rest of the year then it will be a great season for us.

“I don’t really know about the yellow flag penalty, it’s a bit of a shame – Salom went off on the astroturf at turn four so he shut off and Troy and I obviously passed him and when we arrived at the next corner there was a yellow flag! To be honest I didn’t think much about it. It’s disappointing as two top-sixes would have been good but it is what it is.

“So, one mistake away from it being a really great weekend but I’m really happy with race two, I was quite aggressive at the start but I rode a steady race and it’s a great way to thank the team for their hard work. Now I can concentrate on keeping it going for the next round in Aragon!”