The Marc VDS driver, accustomed to irregular results, displays a different consistency this year which is surprising. The result of a change in method and state of mind that he explained to the Italian site GP One.
After complicated years which saw him sink to the bottom of the MotoGP rankings then struggle to return to Moto2, Sam Lowes appears much more serene and relaxed this season and his results are reflected. Even though he missed the winter tests as well as the first race in Qatar due to injury, the Englishman built his season and showed his progress race after race until returning to the podium after three long years away from the top 3.
In the top four in each of the races, he finished demonstrating his speed at Misano, where he moved up to eighth position after starting from the pit lane. Asked by GP One in a long interview about this change, Lowes explained that he had started important work “from a mental and psychological point of view. » And to add: “It's like in everyday life, when we go through difficult times we have to look for the cause and the solution because, if we always do the same thing we always obtain the same results. I am in this process, I am analyzing the areas in which I can progress and on which I can work. I would say this year I'm more focused on the really important aspects of a race weekend. »
Thanks to the Marc VDS team that he joined this year, he first changed his approach to weekends and his way of approaching free practice sessions. The goal ? Focus 100% on the next session and dedicate yourself completely to it. “Before I just thought about the final goal on Sunday when, in reality, you have to have done a million things before to achieve it”, he explained. “It's like in football: If you want to win in the 90th minute you have to have attacked and defended well during the previous 89 minutes. I go out in FP1 then we analyze the data and results. Then we set new goals for the next session. I participate in FP2 and we repeat the process until the race. The final objective does not change but the way of seeking to achieve it does and gives me more confidence. »
“I think I was helped a lot by the team who know how to organize the weekend. Now it's not just about being the fastest in each session, the team is more relaxed and I can only think about riding the bike and being fast. I really have confidence in the way we work and it shows in our results on track. »
Besides that, he had to channel his energy as well as the excess of thoughts which had so often led him to make mistakes in the past in order to be able to concentrate fully during the race: “Those who know me know that I am a person full of energy, I talk a lot and it is difficult for me to stay still. On that, I haven't changed, but I do meditation, breathing and stretching exercises and I train myself to develop my ability to control my mind to keep it in a state of tranquility and concentrate on how which I want it to be. I'm working on teaching my brain to stay in a calm state while there are distractions and it's helped me a lot this year. »
“For example, when there was the red flag in Misano because of the rain, before I would have become very nervous, I might have lost concentration and I would have easily made a mistake. On the contrary, I knew how to stay calm, I focused on my work in the race and I finished on the podium. »
Calmer and more sure of his abilities, Sam Lowes seems to have found the key to being fast but also consistent in Grand Prix. “I think speed and team are 70% [of performance]; the remaining 30% comes from the pilot’s mind”, did he declare. “In my case, I have been more nervous and under pressure in the last two years, I was not focused. And even though the speed was there, it wasn't going well at all. If you only have the first 70%, you will not succeed in achieving the result. » And for the moment, it is clear that he is succeeding very well. Fourth in the championship, he could aim for a place on the final podium.
