WORLD SUPERBKE
WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 9/JULY 13, 2014
MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA/MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA
P48
FACE TO FACE:
ALEX LOWES
We caught up with non-defending
British Superbike Champion and cur-
rent Voltcom Crescent Suzuki rider
Alex Lowes at Laguna Seca for a quick
chat.
Where did your current status as
official, but rookie, rider in World
Superbike come from?
The biggest thing for me was hav-
ing a brief spell in Superstock in the
World Superbike paddock when I was
younger because I learned enough
to know I wanted to get to the World
Championships. The best way of doing
it, with having such a good domestic
series in England, I had to do a good
job there and I knew I would not move
on unless I got to the front in BSB. I
managed to do that and it is all about
opportunities at this game. I have been
very lucky to have the chance this year
and I am trying to make the most of
it. To ride the Suzuki I understood it
straight away, but it is the electronics
that take the time to learn. That is the
hard bit.
How has it been possible for a
rookie to be on the podium more
than once on an older Suzuki, with
so much competition around?
I look at my season and I am disap-
pointed with how it has gone. From my
point of view I have had injures and it
has been quite hard work at times. If
you can go to one track you have not
been to and be at the front there is no
reason why you cannot go to
another and be up front there.
I am disappointed but I have
shown my speed and I need to
keep working hard."
Why do British riders
keep showing up here and
doing well?
I think it is simple for me,
our National Championship is
a Superbike championship.
Because it is competitive there
are people who are quick and
the natural progression for them is to
move on to similar bikes as we have in
World Superbike. If our National Cham-
pionship was like in Spain, Moto2,
then we would have more fast riders in
Moto2. It is what you are used to. The
British tracks are physical and techni-
Loris Baz (76) tries to hold off
Leon Haslam (91). Baz struggled
at Laguna, finishing ninth and
sixth in the two races; Haslam
ended up with a pair of sevenths.
The Erik Buell EBR
team has been racing
all season in World
Superbike, but it took
Larry Pegram's (72)
one-off wild card effort
to get the American
Superbike its first World
Championship points.
Here Pegram leads Hero
EBR's Geoff May (99).
