Elf Marc VDS Racing Team star Sam Lowes powered to a stunning first podium in this year’s WorldSBK Championship at the end of nail-biting Race 1 at the historic Assen track in the Netherlands

Saturday’s action got off to a sensational start for Lowes when he secured the seventh front row of his WorldSBK career in Superpole before pushing factory Ducati duo Nicolo Bulega and Iker Lecuona all the way to the chequered flag in a pulsating fight for victory

Lowes finished third and is confident of more podium success tomorrow in the Superpole Race and Race 2, with the race action starting at 1110am local time

^{// SAM LOWES: Superpole: 2nd, Race 1: 3rd}

Lowes put himself in prime position for a podium attack in the 21-lap Race 1 when he set his fastest ever lap of the Assen track in this morning’s Superpole session to qualify in second position.

A lap of 1:32.473 saw Lowes qualify as the top Independent Team rider as he starred on an all-Ducati front row of the grid.

The Briton immediately slotted himself into third as he comfortably streaked away from a chasing pack headed by Alvaro Bautista.

The contest took a dramatic turn with seven laps remaining as rain spots started to fall on the iconic 4.54km Assen track and Lowes showed tremendous skill and bravery in tricky conditions to get himself right back into the victory scrap.

As the tussle with Bulega and Lecuona headed towards a thrilling climax, Lowes got to within a quarter-of-a-second of the lead with three laps remaining as he threatened to pull off an incredible comeback win at the Cathedral of Speed.

But as the rain eased and the trio split again, Lowes kept his nerve to cross the line in third position to clinch a superb sixth WorldSBK podium.

“It feels great to get our first podium of the season”

“It’s been a really good Saturday, and it feels great to get our first podium of the season. I was really happy with my lap time this morning to get on the front row of the grid and we were faster than last year in qualifying with a different tyre spec. Starting on the front row is always important and I rode a smart race. My position was third to be fair, but those rain spots allowed me to get back into the fight at the front and it was great to be in the battle. I want to thank the team for doing a great job because we ironed out some of the issues from yesterday and I felt strong out there this afternoon. One podium is brilliant, but we want more and we’ll be aiming to be strong again tomorrow.”