Sam Lowes will be at the starting tapes of World Superbike again in 2025, once again wearing the colors of the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team. In fact, the Belgian team announced today that it has extended by another season its long-standing partnership with the 34-year-old Briton, with whom he is embarking on an exciting new chapter just this year, racing for the first time in the premier class of production derivatives on a Ducati Panigale V4R. After racing for four seasons together in the Moto2 World Championship.
A 2024 apprenticeship that turned out to be anything but an easy year for Lowes, who has so far managed to get a sixth place in Assen as his best race result and a front row in qualifying in Barcelona. Also due to several crashes and injuries, which allowed him to finish only five times in the Top 10. A good potential shown only in flashes in the first ten rounds of the Superbike season by Sam and the team, who will try to express themselves at their best next year, after accumulating more and more data and experience in the championship.
"I'’m very happy and proud to be continuing for one more year in WorldSBK with the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team. The goal for me and the team was always a minimum two-year plan, due to the massive difference between Moto2 and WorldSBK," commented Lowes, talking about the current season and his expectations for the future.
". The last races have been complicated after my shoulder injury but the first rounds were really enjoyable as we made good progress, so I am looking forward to getting some strong results in the final part of the season. We will focus a lot over the next races to make some steps forward, so we can start the 2025 season at a much higher level," he explained, "I am enjoying the challenge of racing in WorldSBK. I am enjoying the bike, and the technical differences compared to Moto2, so let’s first enjoy the end of the 2024 season before focusing on future challenges. I have to say a big thanks once again to Marc van der Straten and everybody connected to the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team for their trust and support."
The difficulties encountered this year have not stopped the British rider from cashing in on the confidence of Count Marc van der Straten, who is convinced that he can aspire to great results with Sam in 2025.
"Sam's dedication and determination to improve day by day and earn a place among the fastest riders in World SBK has been admirable. New beginnings are always complicated, as it's not easy to adapt and progress every day," he stressed, "That's why I am proud to continue working with Sam for the 2025 season. I am convinced that next year his name and Elf Marc VDS Racing will shine at the top of the Championship standings."
Automatic Translation by DeepL