Alex Lowes is relishing the sizeable challenge of learning how to get the maximum out of a MotoGP bike after his first official day with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 at Silverstone. The PATA Yamaha World Superbike rider is substituting for the injured Bradley Smith and believes the experience he is gaining on prototype machinery will benefit him, not just this weekend, but when he returns to WorldSBK.
“The R1 is such a good bike, standard, that if you rode the bike five seconds off the pace to get a feeling, it would be very similar. The M1 is a harder bike to ride. Everything you do on the bike has an effect on the bike. On a World Superbike it doesn’t because it’s a softer, more forgiving bike. Honestly I think it will help me when I go back to Superbikes as it should feel a little bit easier. How these guys ride and how I need to ride the bike should suit the R1 in superbike so hopefully if I can improve myself, it should help me over there.”
Lowes ended the afternoon in nineteenth place with his only problem coming with a crash at turn twelve late in FP1. The Lincolnshire rider admitted the moment was a harsh lesson as he battles to get up to speed.
“The tyre must’ve been a bit cold, I just leant into the corner and carried on going until I hit the floor!” he joked. “I think I was actually going a bit too fast on the out-lap because I had it in my head to keep heat in the tyre and my in-lap before was a bit off the pace. I didn’t realise they were so critical to temperature. There are some things you just have to learn the hard way.”