Lowes Takes Maiden Pole Victory at Thruxton

Alex Lowes marked his debut with the MSS Colchester Kawasaki team by powering to his and the team’s maiden pole start in the top flight ahead of the Holiday Monday fourth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Thruxton.

 

It was a remarkable performance by the 20 year old Lincolnshire rider who had not ridden the machine until first free practice on Saturday at the Hampshire circuit. He was quickly settled and improving his lap times ahead of the grid deciding session when with a lap in 1m 14.891secs he took the pole start at the expense of the title chasing John Hopkins.

 

Lowes who had been the pace-maker in the chase for honours in the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO class until he lost his ride amid a contractual wrangle with the WFR Honda team after the Croft round and he answered a call from the Kawasaki team to deputise for their injured rider Stuart Easton.

 

“It is just an awesome feeling, mega. In each of the sessions, I was able to go faster and that really is a testament to the work that had been put in on the bike by Stuart,” said Lowes whose thoughts were with Easton who suffered multiple injuries in a crash during practice for the North West 200 race.

 

“This is for Stuart – we all want to get him back out there on track as soon as possible,” said Lowes. “This will give him a lift, as he has done all of the development work on the bike to make this possible and it will do the whole team good. It has not been easy since his crash for the team, seeing one of your own badly injured, as they are like a big family.

 

“Now I have to a good job for all of them in these races,” added Lowes who is in buoyant mood ahead of the races and ready to scrap for victory against his more experienced rivals.  Former MotoGP rider Hopkins who starts his Samsung Crescent Suzuki alongside him at the front of the grid has a great opportunity to move ahead in the title stakes at the expense of Shane Byrne, whom he currently trails by three points.

 

Byrne, who had been consistently fast throughout practice tipped off his HM Plant Honda on his first flying lap in the grid deciding session, taking a bruising and bashing his hand and wrist, and as a result will start from the back of the grid. Byrne is ready for that challenge.

 

Tommy Hill, still suffering some pain from his injured shoulder, is much stronger, and put his Swan Yamaha onto the front row of the grid, third fastest, ahead of the Rapid Solicitors Bathams Ducati rider Michael Rutter.

 

Peter Hickman continued his steady improvement aboard the Tyco Honda to head up the second row from reigning champion Ryuichi Kiyonari, riding the HM Plant Honda and Michael Laverty on the second Swan Yamaha.  Loris Baz set eighth fastest time, but was relegated four places for an illegal practice start in a live session, with James Westmoreland moved onto the second row.

 

Dan Linfoot, Chris Walker and Martin Jessopp were joined on the third row by Baz while the WFR Honda duo of Glen Richards and Graeme Gowland were fastest among the BSB-EVO class riders ahead of Simon Andrews and Scott Smart.