Sam Lowes opens up to Palmen in Motorradsport (Part 2)

After talking about 2026, his early stages of his career and the seasons from 2011 to 2016, Sam Lowes talked to Palmen in Motorradsport about more crucial parts of his racing career so far. From the season he had in MotoGP back in 2017, to his move to the WorldSBK, the Brit rider also opened up on his future and a heartfelt "Thank You Moment".

So, here is Part 2 of our interview, hoping that you like it. And if you missed the Part 1, you can find it here.

You showed great speed through 2015 and 2016 in Moto2, and then got the chance to move to MotoGP in 2017 with Aprilia. But while in Moto2 you were in the front, in MotoGP it was quite the opposite. What can you say about that year?

It was a strange situation, I think. It was difficult for me, difficult for the team, and the results were just bad. Already from the beginning, I didn't feel comfortable in the team. It's never like people think from the outside: there's always a lot of things going on behind. It was probably the wrong decision for me to go to MotoGP at that moment, but it's easy to say after, not to make that choice. It was just a tough year.

Still I enjoyed doing it. I learned a lot off the track more than on the track. On the track, I didn't learn so much, but off the track I learned a lot about people, racing and how to manage situations that I'd never been in in my life before. Up until that point, I was racing bikes, and everyone that I was working with was there to get to the race and do the best job you can, and I was part of the team. When I made that step up, it was completely different, because I was part not only of a team, but especially of a company.

Not everybody had my intentions. Not everybody was there to help me, and that was something I'd never experienced in my life. It's something that made me grow fast and learn a lot. I especially learnt not to trust everything to be exactly how it looks like.

After that tough year in MotoGP, you came back to Moto2. And it was a bit of highs and lows...

The year after MotoGP, 2018, was terrible. The team I raced with (Swiss Investors Innovation, ed) was a waste of time, honestly, and it was probably my worst year in racing. Then in 2019 I moved back to Gresini (with whom he had raced in 2016, ed) and it was not that bad: I had a really bad injury on my shoulder, so I missed a lot of races, but it's a team I love and I enjoyed a lot.

Then you moved to the Marc VDS Racing Team in 2020.

Yes, and I nearly won the championship, finishing joint second (with Luca Marini, ed) and just 9 points off winning the championship (the title went to Enea Bastianini, ed). 2021 was a good year as well, as I finished 4th in the championship. Unfortunately, 2022 and 2023 were mainly affected by shoulder injuries.

Out of the seasons you spent in Moto2, what do you consider as the best one?

I think 2015 was my best year. I was still quite young and I feel that, if I had had more experience, I could have fought for the championship. I was still quite young, and just two or three years being a professional rider, so I was not quite ready to do the job. But I think that was my best year. 2020 was really good as well, even if affected by the pandemic. I fought for the championship, but I made a mistake in Valencia, which messed it up.

And how did you get the chance to move to WorldSBK?

In 2023, I was ready to stop in Moto2. I was not enjoying it anymore, so we decided I already wanted to stop, so I was looking at coming to Superbike. My brother Alex had been racing here a long time, so I've always followed the class. Moreover, in Moto2 the conditions were changing: they removed the Warm Up session and further reduced track time, and I was not enjoying it.

That's when i decided to look around, and then I found out that Marc (van der Straten, Marc VDS Racing Team Owner, ed) also had a view to come to Superbike. As it turned out, in the end, we managed to do something together, which is great, because I had some great years with them in Moto2. Of course, at a certain stage, I will retire and they will continue. I think it will be a fantastic team to have in this paddock.

Do you prefer to be the only rider of the team, like now, or would you like to have a teammate again?

Good question. It's quite nice to be the only rider, because it means that you always beat your teammate (laughs, ed). But, I think sometimes it can be a big benefit in Superbike to have two riders, and this for many reasons, logistical and on track. You can help each other in some ways, more technically than actually in performance. I think that the team will move to two riders in the future, for sure. But for me, I don't mind either way.

If you now talked to 20-year-old Sam Lowes, that came to the Supersport World Championship in 2011, what would you tell him?

I would probably tell him just to do everything that he's doing right then, but don't care what anyone thinks about it. Because back then I did, and I think everybody does it naturally as a younger person. If I had started already back then not to worry about people, this would have changed a lot of things that happened in my career, which might have changed results as well. But apart from that, I don't do much different really. 

And what's your goal for the future?

My goal is to win races in Superbike and to fight for the championship. I have a contract for 2027, so I will enjoy to ride the Michelin tyres. It's something new for me and for almost everybody. Anyway, my goal is to be competitive here, to make a step and to have a nice career with nice statistics, including podiums and race wins. Then, I will retire and play golf.

And would you like to stay in motorcycle racing after hanging your suit?

Yeah, definitely. I love racing, and I'd love to be involved in helping the team progress and move forward.

And in conclusion, is there anyone you want to thank in particular for what you have experienced so far?

Just me: thanks to Sam, for being Sam really! (laughs, ed). Jokes aside, I need to thank many people, starting with my brother. He has been a big help for me in my career: having somebody that does exactly the same as you, and is the same as you, is something that most people don't have. Then, I have an amazing wife, who also works in the team. It's a tough job being a bike rider in some ways, since we take a lot of shit from the track to the house, and you need to have the people at home that support you, otherwise you can't do it. She does it in the best way, and I am very grateful for it.

I also thank my parents for giving birth to me and making me the nice young man that I am. And then, I just thank everyone I've worked with: apart from one season, maybe two, I've worked with amazing people and I've been very, very fortunate to have good people and good teams around me. I appreciate everybody that puts the effort into following my dream because that's what it is.

Palmen in Motorradsport is grateful to Sam Lowes for his time and to Georgia Wells (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team WorldSBK Press Officer) for arranging the interview. Best wishes to both the rider and his team for the next races and seasons.