The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is shaping up nicely but there’s plenty of off-track talking going on about the 2024 season and the rider market. After Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) sent the silly season into overdrive with his move to BMW’s factory team for 2024, there’s a big puzzle to be solved and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) is one of the key pieces that need to slot in. He’s confirmed that just because he’s riding well and been ahead of teammate Jonathan Rea at various points – such as scoring KRT’s first dry podium of the year in Mandalika’s Superpole Race – it doesn’t guarantee that he’ll “keep a job” for 2024.

Speaking in his media debrief at the end of Friday, Lowes gave a lengthy answer into his prospects for next year: “It's hard; I've been a factory rider in World Superbike for a long time, so I've had lots of good opportunities and I'm enjoying my riding as much as, as I'm riding. I think if you compare to the teammates, I'm being compared to one of the best ever with Jonny. This year, sometimes I've been faster, sometimes he's faster, but I'm quite close if you look at Locatelli to Toprak, Rinaldi to Bautista, they're never in front of the number one rider in the team. So, if you look at this, I'm riding well, but this doesn't mean I'm going to keep a job or keep a contract. There's lots of young guys who ride for not a lot of money or bring sponsors to teams or this type of thing.”

“At the minute, I’m not sure… Toprak going to BMW has changed a lot of things”

“I'm not going to ride a bike for free. I'll stay at home with my nice family and enjoy my life. I think that I'm riding good enough to stay in WorldSBK. I'm enjoying it enough. I'm not too stressed to be honest, I know how hard I work. I know how well I'm riding and I know that also I've had a lot of years in World Superbike. Hopefully, I’ll stay with Kawasaki and keep pushing, with Jonny, to get the bike consistently back on the podium and winning races. This is what I would like to happen and I think that it could happen potentially, but at the minute, I'm not sure. Obviously, Toprak going to BMW has changed a lot of things.”

Razgatlioglu’s move to BMW has put both Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and teammate Michael van der Mark in an awkward position, with both riders possibly going for teammate status to Toprak – something van der Mark enjoyed at Yamaha. As well as those, both Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and teammate Iker Lecuona have contracts expiring at the close of the 2023 season. Elsewhere, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), is the only other full-time factory rider not with a deal announced for 2024. For a full look at 2024’s silly season, click here!

“My brother wants to come” – Sam Lowes on the grid? Alex talks ‘closeness’ with Denning

Continuing to assess his future, Alex Lowes also said that his brother, Sam, wants to join the WorldSBK field from the Moto2™ World Championship, which would reunite the ‘Double Vision Racing’ that they became known as in their native UK: “Also, my brother wants to come to WorldSBK, so I need to fight him for a job! This would be nice if I can race against him next year. This would be good for us. I don't know who they're going to put on Toprak’s bike. Obviously, I have a good relationship with Paul Denning. I’m close with him.”

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