The 2026 WorldSBK Championship resumes this weekend at the Autodrom Most as Sam Lowes and the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team look to power back into podium contention in round five. 

With three podiums and six other top six finishes in the opening four rounds of 2026, Lowes goes into the Czech clash with hopes high that he can deliver more success after a strong outing at the 4.21km track last season.

Lowes begins his prep work for the weekend’s race action at 1035am local time on Friday morning with FP1.

Lowes makes his third visit to the Autodrom Most this weekend aiming to cement his position in third position in the World Championship rankings after a positive start in the opening part of this year’s campaign.

Results in the last round in Hungary didn’t reflect the speed and potential of Lowes, which has only strengthened his determination to get back to the podium form he showed in such stunning fashion at Assen last month.

The Most round in 2025 was one of the strongest of the season for Lowes as he claimed three impressive top six finishes, with fourth secured in both the Superpole Race and the full distance Race 2 over 22 laps.

Lowes certainly entertained a large Czech crowd on Sunday last year when he went toe-to-toe in thrilling podium battles with Danilo Petrucci.

The Italian denied Lowes a podium in the 10-lap Superpole Race by less than 0.1s, and when the pair locked horns throughout another tense showdown in Race 2, Lowes was just pipped to the top three once again by less than 0.2s.

The Briton will be looking to open his account this weekend with another podium challenge when Race 1 gets underway at 2pm local time on Saturday afternoon.

“I was so close last year, so I aim to be on the podium this weekend” 

“Most last year was a strong weekend for me and I had two really good battles with Petrucci for the podium on Sunday, which unfortunately he just got the better of me in both. I feel we are in a much stronger position coming back this weekend, so after being so close last year, the goal is to make sure I’m in that top three fight again and this time around make sure we get to stand on the podium. Most is a track I enjoy and hopefully we can prepare well and qualify in a good position to give myself the best chance to put up a challenge in all three races.”