Interview Alex Lowes: I know I’m better than this
The youngest British Superbike champion in 2013, Alex Lowes is preparing to play his fourth season at world level, his second riding the factory R1. Site took advantage of the presentation of the Yamaha Pata team to discuss with the English n ° 22, 12th of the WSBK 2016. Interview.
Site: You had a difficult first season on the R1, with a lot of falls and injuries. Maybe a little too much pressure on you, on the team ?
Alex Lowes: Maybe yes. We had high expectations and I put too much pressure on myself. But I’m a winner, I want to win races and I can’t be satisfied with 6, 7 or 8th places. Maybe that’s a flaw with me, but I’m convinced it’s an asset when the bike is able to fight in front. I have to control that this year. This is what I learned from last season.
MNC: What changes are being made to the R1 this year ?
A. L .: Compared to that of 2016, the bike has changed a lot. The guys haven’t revolutionized just one area in particular, they’ve made small changes in every way. Overall the bike looks quite different and it has clearly improved. I can’t wait to race against the others, to assess this progress. I am really impatient.
MNC: You prefer the behavior of the motorcycle today ?
A. L .: I got this feeling during testing. I was more confident, and in our job, trust is most important. It came more easily and I hope that it will be confirmed in the race.
MNC: So the bike has changed, and you said you did too. Have you changed your driving, your training or your mentality ?
A. L .: It is a whole. Last year at the end of the season, I was like "Come on Alex, I know you’re better than that". I wondered what could have been wrong with me, or with the team maybe. I questioned myself, I tried to make changes, especially during my. I learned a few things while riding with the best guys in the world. And honestly, I wasn’t too dumped. I realized that by changing this or that, I could improve myself. I must continue to work in this direction, and it motivates me.
MNC: You have also taken a big step in your personal life … by asking your friend to marry! It has to do with hanging out with Leon Haslam, or seeing Sylvain so happy with his wife, four children and his dog. ?
A. L .: Honestly, I can’t speak for others, I don’t know their situation. But I can say that my fiancee Corinne is fantastic. She makes me a better person. It makes me understand what life is like: motorcycles are both my passion and my job, but it frees me from a certain pressure. It allows me to be happy no matter what happens in competition. It helps me to motivate myself during my workouts. She just makes me happy, and that’s very important.
MNC: You train a lot with Sam and Leon, especially in motocross. What does it bring you ?
A. L .: Motocross is very good for the physique, for concentration because it is another style of riding. We also ride supermotard and pitbike on asphalt. It makes good fights. It doesn’t sound like our racing bikes, but we have fun. Best of all is the rivalry between us.
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MNC: Precisely, which one is the best?…
A. L .: Me ! Honestly, this winter in Spain, you can ask them, whether it is cross country, supermot ‘, pitbike or even golf, I was winning. I was so happy !
MNC: When was your last "real" race against your twin Sam (Aprilia official MotoGP rider this season) ?
A. L .: Our last battle was in 2010. I had a wildcard when he had just won the British Supersport Championship and he had beaten me. It’s not good … Three years before that, I had beaten him several times. I hope we can fight together again, in the same team. That would be great !
MNC: Rea and Sykes, Davies and Melandri, Laverty and Savadori, Camier, Hayden and Bradl, not to mention your teammate Van den Mark … There are quite a few clients this year in WSBK and the fight for the podium, even the Top10 , will be rough … What is your goal for the start of the season ?
A. L .: I have the feeling that we have improved, Yamaha is a fantastic company and I am really proud to ride with them. We must be in the lead. If we can’t keep up with Kawasaki and Ducati from the start, we have to be right behind. Then we’ll have to get back to them … Yamaha deserves it and I want to help them. As I said at the start of the interview, if this is not possible, we will have to understand where we stand and make the right decisions.
MNC: I have to ask the question … During the , Sylvain Guintoli is on the podium. It puts pressure on you or reassures you ?
A. L .: It was good for me. In general, I was faster than him in the race but in Qatar, he turned faster than me: during practice, in the first run, in the second … I knew he was leaving the team and it was hard to swallow for me. The good thing is that I understood why. He’s a great rider of course, but his style was perfect for this bike on this very special track. He didn’t ride the bike like me. So after the race, we worked hard with the guys to analyze it all. He did a fantastic job and I tried to learn from it. This is the only thing that works. In the end, I would say it puts more pressure on me, but it’s good. It was a good blow to the balls. It made me feel good somewhere…
MNC: To conclude, what do you think of the new grid for the second race ?
A. L .: I am quite enthusiastic. I don’t know what to expect, it’s never been attempted. But I want to approach this in a positive way. We’ll see !
MNC: We will follow this closely. Good start to the season and thank you !
A. L .: Thanks to you, see you.
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