The long WorldSBK summer break is finally over and Elf Marc VDS Racing Team rider Sam Lowes is eager to return to race action for the first time since mid-July when the 2026 campaign resumes at Magny-Cours in France this weekend 

Seven podium finishes and three front row starts in the opening eight rounds of the season will see Lowes back on his Ducati Panigale V4R machine this weekend in a strong fifth place in the overall standings.

Action in this weekend’s ninth round begins with the opening Free Practice session at 1020am local time.

A seven-week summer break gave Lowes the perfect opportunity to recharge and refresh ahead of the final phase of the campaign.

This weekend’s French round at Magny-Cours begins the countdown to the season’s conclusion, with Cremona in Italy, Estoril in Portugal and Jerez in Spain to follow.

The Briton is determined to bring the curtain down on his third season in the WorldSBK Championship on a high after powering to 177 points prior to the summer break, which is only seven shy of his personal best tally of 184 in 2025.

Lowes claimed a sensational Superpole Race podium in front of his home crowd at Donington Park last time out, and he’s eyeing more top three success at the 4.41km Magny-Cours track that lies around 250 kilometres south of Paris.

With a previous best of ninth at Magny-Cours from the front row last year in Race 1, Lowes is confident he can pose a much stronger challenge in this weekend’s race action on Saturday and Sunday.

“I feel in great shape for the final part of the season”

“It has been a very long break since we were last racing in front of my home fans at Donington, so I’m really excited and feel ready to get the season back up and running this weekend at Magny-Cours. The break gave me the chance to switch off a bit and get myself in great shape for the final part of the season and we did do a test at Magny-Cours where I felt good on the bike. I felt strong there last year even if our results didn’t show it, so I think we have great potential this weekend. The main thing is just to get back in the groove as quickly as possible and find my rhythm, but we definitely want to be in that fight for the podium to set us up for a strong finish to the season.”