Raring to return to race action for the first time since late July, Sam Lowes will be back on board the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team Ducati at this weekend’s French WorldSBK clash in Magny-Cours.

• Absent from the previous event in Portugal with a left shoulder injury suffered in the Most Superpole race nearly two months ago, Lowes has completed an intense rehabilitation to be ready to compete in round eight of 12 this weekend.
• It is over a decade since the 33-year-old last raced at the 4.411 km French track in World Supersport, but he enjoyed tremendous success with three successive second place finishes in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
• The action gets underway with FP1 at 1020am local time.

/// SAM LOWES

“The target is to improve day by day”

“I really can’t wait to be back with the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team again this weekend and back racing after this long period away with the shoulder injury. I’ve been working incredibly hard to get myself into the best shape possible for this weekend and I’m looking forward to it.  I’ve been able to ride my training bike in Misano recently and I’m certainly better physically. I’m not quite back to being 100% fit and three races in one weekend is going to be tough, but I feel like I’m as ready as I can be, and the target is just to improve day by day and session by session. I’m looking forward to checking the shoulder to see how it holds up over the weekend and to learn Magny-Cours as quickly as I can riding a WorldSBK machine.”