Ducati’s control of the current WorldSBK season was clear again at Magny-Cours, but Garrett Gerloff’s comments after Race 2 focused on Alex Lowes—the only non-Ducati rider able to fight with the satellite bikes behind the podium positions.

Ducati riders occupied the first three places in the championship standings and five of the top six at the time described. The new Panigale V4 R was also unbeaten in its first 27 races, according to the available evidence. Alex Lowes was fourth in the standings, ahead of Sam Lowes and Lorenzo Baldassarri but behind Nicolo Bulega, Iker Lecuona and Yari Montella.

Lowes’ impact despite the crash

Lowes’ position in the standings carried added weight in Race 2. He was running fifth when he crashed out, ending a challenge that had placed him among the satellite Ducatis. The race ultimately finished with Ducati riders occupying all six top positions.

The incident allowed Gerloff to become the highest-placed non-Ducati rider. The Kawasaki rider finished seventh, 1.5 seconds behind sixth-placed Alvaro Bautista and 23 seconds behind the winner.

Gerloff nevertheless praised Lowes’ consistency and performance with the bike. Lowes has also repeatedly credited Ducati for the development of its new Panigale V4 R, including in an Instagram post after the Magny-Cours race.

Gerloff finds the race pace

Gerloff said he had struggled with race pace earlier in the weekend despite having one-lap speed. He described long-distance pace as his usual strength, rather than qualifying-style pace, and said he finally resolved the problem in the last race. His seventh place therefore stood out as a solid result in a field dominated by Ducati, even though the gap to the front remained substantial.