Elf Marc VDS Racing Team star Sam Lowes got his Czech WorldSBK weekend off to a flying start to finish inside the top three in both practice sessions at the Autodrom Most today 

Lowes was rapid straight out of the gate this morning to set the second quickest time in FP1 and a big improvement by almost a second in this afternoon’s second session secured him third on the combined leaderboard.

The all-important Superpole session starts at 1115am local time tomorrow before Lowes is set to duel for 25-points in Race 1 that is set for lights out at 1400pm.

/// SAM LOWES: 3rd, 1:30.993, 38 laps 

It was a cool start to proceedings in FP1, with air temperature only reaching 13 degrees under heavy cloud cover as Lowes began his quest for podium glory in round five.

Lowes experienced a disrupted opening session after his Elf Marc VDS Racing crew was called into action to quickly rectify a small oil leak that meant he could only complete 14 laps.

The Briton made each one count though and a hot lap of 1:31.388 on lap 12 fired Lowes into a strong second, with only dominant World Championship leader Nicolo Bulega lapping faster.

Eager to make up for the lost track time this morning, Lowes threw himself into an intense work schedule in FP2 and a big effort over 24 laps was rewarded with the 35-year-old setting the third best time of the day with a PB lap of 1:30.933.

Lowes was one of only four riders to set a sub 1:31 lap on day one and his pace and consistency in a long run this afternoon means he takes plenty of confidence going into Superpole and Race 1 tomorrow.

“We have an opportunity to pick up some strong results” 

“Today was very positive for me and a solid start to the weekend. I feel satisfied with the step I’ve made compared to previous races in Most where I found it a little difficult to unlock some of the secrets here. But after a couple of fourth places last year I arrived in a positive frame of mind, so it’s nice to confirm our potential. I did a long run this afternoon and I’m happy with my pace, and that consistency I was able to show bodes well for the remainder of the weekend. If I can find a bit more speed in sector two and a bit more consistency in the last sector, then I think we have a really good opportunity to pick up some strong results. I’ll try the soft rear tyre tomorrow morning to understand if that is an option for the Superpole race, but I think our base is good and we can look forward to the rest of the weekend with plenty of optimism.”