Sam Lowes dug deep and braved the intense pain of a left rib injury to fire the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team’s Ducati Panigale V4R machine into a sensational third place on a stunning start to the final round of the WorldSBK Championship in Jerez

On a day of near perfect conditions as the iconic Jerez track basked in glorious sunshine, Lowes shone in both practice sessions to close out day one as the top Independent Team rider

Superpole action starts at 11am local time on Saturday morning ahead of Race 1 at 2pm, with Lowes determined to compete after the rib injury forced his withdrawal from the racing schedule last weekend at Estoril in Portugal

/// SAM LOWES: 3rd, 1:38.866, 31 LAPS

Declared fit on Thursday after undergoing an intense period of treatment on the damaged left rib he injured in a training accident shortly before the Estoril round, Lowes gritted his teeth in FP1 to post the fifth quickest time.

A best of 1:39.048 was one of eight laps the Briton managed in the 1.39 bracket as he brilliantly balanced attacking on his Ducati machine while minimizing the risk of aggravating the rib injury.

Morning ambient temperatures of 23 degrees soared to a sizzling 29 by the time pit lane opened for FP2, and with improved times hard to come by in the hot conditions, Lowes excelled on a track where he has won twice previously in Moto2.

The 35-year-old was the only rider in the top seven in the combined standings to improve his lap time this afternoon and a lap of 1:38.866 secured him third place overall.

Factory Ducati rider Nicolo Bulega was the only other rider in FP2 to lap in the 1.38 bracket, and now Lowes will rest with the intention and desire to line up on the grid for Race 1 tomorrow afternoon.

“I’m desperate to race and do a good job for the team”

“I’m very happy to have got through what’s been a tough first day being so fast and feeling competitive on the bike. We did a test here in Jerez in September and that’s really helped because we have the bike dialled in really well and I can just focus on my riding. The lap time is there but I must admit the injury is still bothering me. I’m fast for one lap but like in Estoril the concern is going to be whether my body can hold up for the longer distance in the races. I need to see how I’m feeling when I wake up tomorrow. We’ll use some painkillers to see if that can help do the longer runs but it is the last round and I’m desperate to race and do a good job for the team, so I’ll be giving my all to get through the weekend.”