Winning for your new team on your first weekend is not a feeling many riders will get, but Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) knows what that feeling is like after the Yamaha Finance Australian Round. He claimed victory in Race 2 of the opening MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship weekend by just 0.037s ahead of teammate Jonathan Rea.

Lowes had to defend from five-time Champion Rea going into the final corner as Rea looked to snatch race victory away from Lowes. The Englishman had made a move on Rea on Lap 20 of 22 and despite Rea’s best efforts, held on to take his first WorldSBK victory in a year and a half. His last victory came in Race 2 at Brno in 2018.

Talking after the racing had finished at Phillip Island, Lowes said: “I feel fantastic. Been a great first weekend with the team. The race was tricky because the temperatures were so high, it made the grip quite low. But I really enjoyed it! I needed to be patient all throughout the race because people were banging into me, hitting me wide. Baz hit me a few times, then Toprak, then Michael. Fun racing but it was hard to find a rhythm, I was back in 8^th then Baz came past me, Alvaro came past me. All the time I felt quite strong on the bike. I was focussed on being smooth, looking after the tyre and coming forward at the end. The plan paid off, it doesn’t always happen like that. Really happy to get my first win with Kawasaki Racing Team, I’m going to enjoy it tonight before recharging my batteries for Qatar.”

Lowes was able to hold off his five-time Champion teammate Rea in the final race of the weekend; an effort that should boost the British rider’s confidence heading into the next round. It was a sensational effort from Lowes to be able to keep Rae at bay, and it was a real statement of intent during the opening weekend

With the opening round finished and rivalries heating up again, you can follow the 2020 season with WorldSBK VideoPass!