After a Saturday which saw the Kawasaki Racing Team rider finish 5th in the first race of the World SBK Superbike in Portimao, Portugal, alex lowes did not rest on Sunday and was on the podium twice...
The 4,592km Autodromo Internacional do Algarve once again provided warm and dry conditions and hosted two new races which provided the usual high level of competition for the entire field.
In the ten-lap Superpole race, which started at an unusual time of 14:45 p.m. local, alex lowes placed third after an intense competition that saw him miss out on victory by just 3,251 seconds.
The second race was launched at 18:00 p.m. under the new Portimao timetable and was marked by strong winds which sometimes changed direction and intensity. The drivers also had to deal with a track temperature reduced to 34°C. At the start of the 20 lap race, alex lowes led twice, while he was involved in a multi-man fight for victory. He experienced an intense moment in the main straight with the future winner of the race, Toprak Razgatlioglu, who accidentally clipped the back of Alex's machine and lost one of his fins.
After thatAlvaro Bautista lost his second position while pursuing Toprak Razgatlioglu, the Briton held third place for the final five laps and finished just over six seconds from victory.
The two podiums ofalex lowes on Sunday increased Kawasaki's number of WorldSBK podiums to 551.
In the general classification of the championship, Toprak Razgatlioglu has 365 points, Nicholas Bulega 273 Alvaro Bautista 223 and Alex Lowes 213. Although number 22 remains fourth, he is now only 10 points behind third place.
Like the BMW, the Kawasaki benefits from super-dealers, and it shows!
The next round of the FIM Superbike World Championship, the eighth of twelve, will take place in France, at Magny Cours, from September 6 to 8.
alex lowes : “Two podiums is a good way to end the weekend in Portimao. The last race was really difficult. The wind was strong and changed direction, making driving difficult. All my braking cues were completely unusable, because on one lap there was a strong wind and on the next lap not so much. It was really difficult to judge. In my head I was like, “It’s the same for everyone, so relax and try to stay focused.” On the first straight, Toprak hit the back of my bike – I think he must have been sucked towards me in the slipstream – and lost one of his wings. I tried to follow him for a few laps. Once I got third, I just tried to manage the race. It was physical and difficult. But the bike was working really well, especially in the T6/T7/T8 section where the bike is easy to ride. I had a lot of fun today and I think we had another good weekend. It's nice to see our consistency on so many circuits and I can't wait to be at Magny Cours. »
