Lightning-fast Lowes tops day one in Hungary
Elf Marc VDS Racing Team star Sam Lowes enjoyed a promising first day of running at the new Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary, and led the combined FP standings by 0.2s.
Second fastest in FP1 then first in FP2, Lowes heads into Saturday with high expectations after a brilliant opening day under the Hungarian sun.
Tomorrow is expected to be another hot day of running at the 4.07km track, with Lowes in action for Superpole at 11am local time and Race 1 at 2pm.
/// SAM LOWES: 1st, 1:39.528, 38 LAPS
Friday morning was the first chance for Sam to explore the tight, technical Balaton Park Circuit with his Elf Marc VDS Racing Team Ducati Panigale V4R.
And he was immediately on the pace and quickly found his rhythm. After 17 laps for running in FP1, Sam sat 2nd overall thanks to his 1’40.147, just 0.4s from the fastest time of the morning.
Track temperatures already sat at a high 39 degrees for FP1. And they continued to rise for the afternoon FP2, with track temperatures clocking in at 46 when the 45-minutes session kicked off at 3pm.
Like FP1, the Briton showed early speed in the afternoon as he and reigning World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu swapped fastest times early on.
The session was red flagged after eleven minutes due to a crash for Tito Rabat. But when running got back underway, 34-year old Sam retook top spot in the closing minutes with the fastest time of the day. His 1’39.528 was 0.2s faster than Razgatlioglu’s best from FP1.
“I’m happy to be here in Hungary. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”
“It was a decent first day. It’s a new circuit and we managed to ride here before with the training bike. But it was the first day with the Superbike. Honestly, it’s an enjoyable track and we’ve been able to find a good rhythm straight away. In FP2 in the afternoon the track was pretty hot. It was a bit slick and greasy out there so we got to work on our engine brake settings and our markers and spin as many laps as possible. I think we’ve got a good direction for tomorrow. I think we understand which tyre we’ll use for the race. Let’s see. I think the weather’s going to play a part on how the weekend plays out. But I’m happy to be here racing for the first time in Hungary. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”