Sam Lowes responded to a difficult Estoril weekend with a strong Friday at Jerez, returning to the top three in both WorldSBK practice sessions. He ran behind Nicolo Bulega and ahead of Iker Lecuona, producing a much more competitive pace at the circuit hosting the season finale.

The improvement did not come without complications. Lowes encountered a brake problem during FP2, which altered his rhythm and prevented him from showing his true speed. He still regarded the opening day as a positive one, saying he felt comfortable from the first lap. Jerez is also a track where Lowes believes he is capable of being fast, making the early performance particularly encouraging after the previous round.

A very different picture from Estoril

The preceding weekend in Estoril had been far more difficult. Lowes could not find the feeling he needed from the front of the motorcycle and felt he was riding on the limit despite travelling slowly. He described that performance as a strange exception in a 2026 season during which he had been fast at every other circuit, although mistakes and disappointing results had still been part of the campaign.

The Jerez response came without a major technical overhaul. The team went back to its circuit base setting and made no significant changes to the motorcycle. That familiar platform produced an immediate improvement in the practice order, while Lowes’ longer-term objective is to understand and improve what went wrong at Estoril before next season.