Alex Lowes believes Voltcom Crescent Suzuki are in good shape to challenge at the front throughout the 2015 season after claiming his first podium of the season in race two in Thailand. The Briton finished third behind championship frontrunners Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam and is delighted to have put the despair of Phillip Island behind him.
“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.”
The day looked to have started off on a similar note to Australia when Lowes crashed in race one. Although the 24 year old remounted to finish sixth, he was demoted a place for overtaking under yellow flags and Alex was confused by the decision from race direction.
“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!”
Team Manager Paul Denning was quick to heap praise on Lowes, adding that he sees Lowes developing into a rider who can challenge the very best in World Superbikes.
“After showing great potential in Philip island and suffering a really difficult race day, it’s been very positive to reconfirm the potential of the 2015 Suzuki GSX-R, and of course Alex himself, this weekend in Thailand. I wouldn’t have said the track suited the bike particularly well but we were fast all weekend, qualified well and aside for a very small mistake in the first race, should have been on the podium in both races. Congratulations to the whole team but especially to Alex, who is only in his second year of international competition but is starting to look like a serious contender.”
