Alex Lowes put on a stand-out performance at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli this afternoon as he came out fighting despite his injury to avenge his race one frustrations on the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK YZF-R1. Challenging in the top five for the majority of the 21-laps and setting the fastest lap of the race, his strength ultimately gave out just a lap before the end as he crossed the line in eighth, one place ahead of teammate Niccolò Canepa.
A stunning start saw the British rider immediately challenge the front, grabbing second into the first corner before fighting for, and holding third for the opening laps – and setting the fastest lap of the race in the process with a 1’35.165. Briefly dropping to fifth he quickly regrouped, catching the rider in front, but an attempted pass for fourth on the sixth lap was blocked. The British rider continued to push on hard for the closing stages, his pace a second faster than the riders behind as he comfortably held his top-five position. However, his physical condition made it impossible to resist a challenge on the penultimate lap and the closely-packed group seized the advantage. Lowes took the chequered flag with a hard fought eighth place, concluding the weekend with 81 points and sitting tenth in the championship standings.
Forced to take avoiding action by a first lap crash, stand-in rider Canepa dropped back from a good start, recovering quickly from 22nd to 12th in two laps. With consistently better pace than the riders in front, the Italian struggled to find the perfect opportunity to make his move before finding the solution on lap 14 and entering the top ten. Continuing his advance he concluded his second home race with a solid ninth place – having regained 13 positions throughout the race – and 16 points from his debut weekend on the Pata Yamaha YZF-R1.
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team remains at the Misano Circuit for a further day as it participates in the official test organised by the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in preparation for round nine, at Laguna Seca in the United States, on 8th-10th July.
情報提供元 [ Yamaha Racing ]