Sam Lowes

Samuel Deane Lowes (born 14 September 1990) is a British motorcycle racer who competed in the Moto2 World Championship with ELF Marc VDS Racing Team aboard a Kalex since 2019. From 2024, Lowes remains with the same team ownership which moves into a new class of racing, World Superbikes, using a Ducati Panigale V4 R.

Lowes is the identical twin brother of World Superbike rider Alex Lowes, and in 2024, was the first time they have competed against one another on an international stage.

Career Lowes won the Supersport World Championship 2013 riding a Yamaha YZF-R6 for Russian team Yakhnich Motorsport in the championship, as well as the 2010 British Supersport champion riding a Honda CBR600RR.

During his championship year in the British championship, Lowes scored five wins, including three consecutive wins and three pole positions, winning at Brands Hatch, Knockhill, Cadwell Park, Croft and Silverstone, along with five podium finishes. Afterwards, he moved to the Supersport World Championship full-time in 2011 signing for the Parkalgar Honda team. In his first complete year, he scored six podiums, finishing sixth overall with 129 points. In 2012, he moved to Bogdanka PTR Honda, a sister team of the Parkalgar Honda, and earned two wins at the Donington Park and Aragón rounds. In 2013, he moved to Yakhnich Motorsport riding a semi-works Yamaha.

Lowes claimed the World Supersport championship in 2013 with one round remaining at Magny-Cours, finishing second in the race. He was scheduled to race in the World Superbike Championship in 2014 with Yakhnich, however, these plans fell through as the team decided to jump to the championship without Yamaha. Moto2 World Championship Speed Up Racing (2014–2015) Instead, Lowes opted to join the Moto2 World Championship riding with the Speed Up team, signing a two-year deal with the team.

Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 (2016) For 2016 onwards, Lowes signed a three-year contract backed by Aprilia, enabling him to continue in Moto2 for 2016 with the Gresini team and a change from Speed Up to Kalex chassis.

MotoGP World Championship As well as this, Lowes had the added benefit of being Aprilia's official MotoGP test rider, but an anticipated move to compete for Aprilia in the premier MotoGP class for the 2017 and 2018 seasons was cut short by Aprilia exercising an early-release option announced half-way through the 2017 season, replacing him with Scott Redding for 2018.

Return to Moto2 Swiss Innovative Investors (2018) Lowes returned to Moto2 for the 2018 season, riding a KTM bike for the Swiss Innovative Investors team, partnering Iker Lecuona. He replaced Thomas Lüthi, who moved up to MotoGP with the EG 0,0 Marc VDS team. Lowes finished 16th in the riders' championship, scoring 49 points, and he failed to score a single fastest lap, podium, win, or pole position for the first time since he made his Moto2 début in 2014.

Return to Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 (2019) On 21 August 2018, it was announced that Lowes would rejoin Gresini Racing for the 2019 season, replacing Jorge Navarro who will move to Speed Up.

Marc VDS Racing Team (2020–2023) On 6 September 2019, it was announced Lowes would join Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS for 2020, where he would be partnering Alex Marquez. Alex Marquez eventually moved up to the MotoGP class and was replaced by Augusto Fernández.

Lowes suffered a significant shoulder injury at the British GP practice in August 2022, and was unable to race in October at the season penultimate event in Malaysia. He and his team decided to withdraw at the Sepang racetrack, and seek further advice from surgeon Lennard Funk, based in Manchester, England. It was confirmed in early November that Lowes would not compete at the last event of the 2022 season in Valencia, Spain.

Superbike World Championship

Marc VDS Racing Team (2024) Lowes, along with Marc VDS, would compete in the Superbike World Championship in 2024 using a Ducati Panigale V4 R.

Career statistics

2008 - 20th, European Superstock 600 Championship, Honda CBR600RR

European Superstock 600 Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos Pts 2008 Honda VAL ASS MNZ NÜR MIS BRN BRA DON MAG POR 20th 17

British Supersport Championship

Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Pts Honda BHI OUL DON THR SNE KNO MAL BHGP CAD CRO SIL OUL 14th 50 Honda BHI THR OUL CAD MAL KNO SNE BHGP CAD CRO SIL OUL 1st 229

Supersport World Championship

Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos Pts Honda AUS QAT SPA NED ITA RSA USA SMR GBR CZE GER ITA FRA POR NC 0 Honda AUS POR SPA NED ITA RSA USA SMR CZE GBR GER ITA FRA 25th 6 Honda AUS EUR NED ITA SMR SPA CZE GBR GER ITA FRA POR 6th 129 Honda AUS ITA NED ITA EUR SMR SPA CZE GBR RUS GER POR FRA 3rd 172 Yamaha AUS SPA NED ITA GBR POR ITA RUS GBR GER TUR FRA SPA 1st 250

Superbike World Championship Races by season Season Motorcycle Team Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd Ducati Panigale V4 R Elf Marc VDS Racing Team 30 0 0 0 0 53 18th Ducati Panigale V4 R Elf Marc VDS Racing Team 30 0 5 2 0 184 8th Ducati Panigale V4 R Elf Marc VDS Racing Team 6 0 0 0 0 43* 6th* Total 66 0 5 2 0 280

Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Pts R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 Ducati AUS AUS AUS SPA SPA SPA NED NED NED ITA ITA ITA GBR GBR GBR CZE CZE CZE POR POR POR FRA FRA FRA ITA ITA ITA SPA SPA SPA POR POR POR SPA SPA SPA 18th 53 Ducati AUS AUS AUS POR POR POR NED NED NED ITA ITA ITA CZE CZE CZE EMI EMI EMI GBR GBR GBR HUN HUN HUN FRA FRA FRA ARA ARA ARA POR POR POR SPA SPA SPA 8th 184 Ducati AUS AUS AUS POR POR POR NED NED NED HUN HUN HUN CZE CZE CZE ARA ARA ARA EMI EMI EMI GBR GBR GBR FRA FRA FRA ITA ITA ITA POR POR POR SPA SPA SPA 6th* 43* Season still in progress.

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

By season

By class Class Seasons 1st GP 1st pod 1st win Race Win Podiums Pole FLap Pts WChmp Moto2 2014–2016, 2018–2023 2014 Qatar 2015 Americas 2015 Americas 155 10 26 20 12 1090 0 MotoGP 2017 2017 Qatar 18 0 0 0 0 5 0 Total 2014–2023 173 10 26 20 12 1095 0

Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)