Sam Lowes believes he has the upper hand over brother Alex heading into the final 2026 WorldSBK race day at Jerez. The two riders are level on 245 points, while Yari Montella is set to finish third for Barni Ducati, 56 points ahead of them. Sam says that beating Alex is not the main issue, however: both brothers have left too many points on the table and should have been closer to Montella in the standings.

Lowes attributes his advantage at Jerez to both his Grand Prix background and the amount of riding he has done at the circuit. He also points to the performance of his motorcycle and the familiarity he has built at the track. Rain is expected for Sunday, and Sam believes wet conditions could produce a fairer contest by reducing the advantage he expects to have in the dry.

A strong Saturday for Lowes

The Marc VDS rider comes into the closing races after finishing second in Race 1 behind world champion Nicolo Bulega. He split the two factory Aruba.it Ducati riders and was satisfied to reach the 1m 36s bracket in qualifying, a target he considered significant at Jerez. He also described the race as solid and enjoyable, praising a circuit that suits his riding style and where he has good memories from Moto2 and his shorter WorldSBK experience.

Lowes was not struggling for outright pace, but finding another step proved difficult. He felt the front SC1 tyre moving heavily because he does not consider himself the smoothest rider, and he had near moments at Turns 9 and 11. Iker Lecuona also applied pressure towards the end of the race. Despite those difficulties, Lowes managed the situation, remained competitive and said the bike is clearly working well at Jerez.

In dry conditions, Sam therefore considers himself the favourite in the family battle, particularly with the Panigale V4 R working strongly around the circuit. The anticipated rain could change that balance and give Alex a more realistic opportunity to fight for the advantage on Sunday.