“I didn’t feel like I was really racing” – Lowes

Alex Lowes says he was happy to ‘take the points’ for a top five finish after keeping it tidy in tricky conditions two weeks after he crashed in the wet at Misano.

Unable to maximise his performance in Superpole after an early slip at Goddards – which he put down to being caught out by a rider ahead slowing down before cutting back to the inside to begin a quick lap – Lowes nonetheless made steady progress to climb from eighth to fifth.

Coming two weeks after the Pata Yamaha rider led at Misano in similarly difficult conditions before crashing out, though Lowes was struggled to show the same raw pace in the rain, he was pleased to at least get good points this time.

It was difficult today because I felt like I didn't have any grip on corner entry and exit for the whole race and, for the first five laps, it felt like I didn't have enough temperature in the tyres.

“Then I sort of found a bit of a rhythm and caught Alvaro, but the race had broken up by then and I was sitting fifth with a big gap in front and a big gap behind. From then it was a case of bringing it home.

“It's a shame because I didn't feel like I was really racing, but happy to take the points for a top five finish because, as we saw today, it was very easy to make a mistake in the conditions. Hopefully the sun will be shining tomorrow and we can do a bit better.”