2013 WorldSSP Champion, 2016 Moto2™ contender and now MotoGP™ rider - it’s been a good learning curve for Sam Lowes since he was Champion of the world, and the Brit is understandably proud of his progress.
Sam Lowes: “Of course to be a World Champion is a great achievement…but also to arrive in MotoGP isn’t easy to do, and to arrive in a team like this, and with a factory contract it is also really important. It’s really a proud moment for me.”
Faster, heavier and a step up in every way, Lowes so far sees his experience of MotoGP™ as “incredible” – so what are the strongest points at his new home, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini?
SL22: “For me the strongest points are the race distance, the tyre life, the way that we work with tyre, and the chassis on the bike. Maybe the biggest area to improve is to push a little bit more in the corners, and have a little bit more acceleration. But I think overall the package has made a good step from last year.”
One of four rookies this year, that statement is about to be put to the test as the lights go out for the first race in Qatar. And the first port of call? Points.
SL22: “Maybe the biggest opponent should be myself, because I’m just working on myself to improve and improve. Once there are two or three races, we’ll see where we are and then we’ll work to improve from that. My goal is to start the season fighting for the points. It’s nice to have some more rookies to compare against. Hopefully, I can be on a similar level to them immediately and then further in the season we can be in a nice situation.