Tricky conditions catch out Lowes in Race 1 at Assen
After a brilliant qualifying session, Sam Lowes finished 19th in the opening race of the weekend after a scary first lap moment in treacherous mixed conditions led to him pitting to change rear tyre.
- Early morning rain left the legendary TT Circuit Assen wet for Saturday morning’s Superpole session, in which Sam showed some exceptional wet weather riding to qualify fourth, thanks to a lap time of 1’43.190.
- Yet conditions couldn’t have been more difficult for Race 1. The first half of the track was still wet when the race started at 14.00 local time, while the second had drier sections meaning tyre choice was a real dilemma. Sam started on slicks front and rear but pitted after lap one to change to a full wet rear.
- Sadly, the track only continued to dry from there, so Sam pitted for a second time to change back to a slick. This meant the 33-year old was in a 19th place when the race was red flagged six laps from the end due to oil on track. As 2/3s of the race distance was completed, results were declared from that moment.
“I just need a bit more confidence and understanding of the tyres”
“Sorry to the team because we probably made the correct call with the tyres, but the choice was a bit of a lottery. I was really happy to qualify fourth and be in the mix but on the first lap the first sector was pretty wet and I saw the rain coming down. Then I lost the rear in Turn 7 which knocked my confidence a bit so I came in to change tyres. It was the first lap so the timing was difficult and then we unfortunately had the wrong tyre after that. It was frustrating for everybody. I didn’t have what I needed to keep going in the first laps. That’s not on anyone else but me. But it was a very complicated situation in complicated conditions. I’ll learn from that tonight and see what the track’s like tomorrow. It was still a positive day in a lot of ways. I just need a bit more confidence and understanding of the tyres to really be in a better situation. It was my mistake to come in and pit early but it was one of those moments that would have looked great if it paid off. We’ll try to make a better call tomorrow.”