MotoGP Austin: ‘Sore’ Lowes queries sanctions consistency after crash

Sam Lowes’s AmericasGP ended almost before it had begun on Sunday after his Elf Marc VDS was wiped out on lap one at COTA.

Lowes was feeling confident of his potential after late changes to his Kalex machine at the Austin track he’s favoured in the past, but the work came to nothing as the Honda Team Asia rider barrelled through at turn 12 sending him clattering to the deck.

“It was a really disappointing race because I felt like we made a step forward,” Lowes said before heading home from the US. “We made a big change ahead of the race and I was already feeling better than I was during most of the weekend.

“Our pace was quite strong. It wasn’t as far off as it looked. I’m just disappointed. It was a racing incident and it can happen.

“We now need to move on and get to Portimao and get some feeling and speed back. It’s frustrating but it happens. I’m a bit sore now. We need to take some time to recover so we can get to Portugal fit and healthy.”

While Chantra has been sanctioned for the incident - and facing a long lap penalty for the Portuguese Grand Prix in a fortnight’s time - Lowes took to Twitter on his return to the UK to question the stewards consistency, simply stating “Doesn’t seem correct! 2020?”

The comment comes after the Brit had himself been hit with a penalty for causing a crash during the Styria race two years ago. However, despite securing the pole position in the San Marino GP, he was forced to start from pit lane and undertake a fightback worthy of Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez as he made his way to eighth at the flag.