MotoGP Phillip Island: Lowes scores in ‘tough first full race since June’

Elf Marc VDS’ Sam Lowes was back in the Moto2 points at Phillip Island despite taking a knock to his shoulder earlier in the weekend.

Lowes bounced back from a high speed Saturday morning off at the Hayshed to pick up four points as he crossed the line 12th on Sunday in Australia. His already recovering shoulder taking the brunt of the crash left the British rider stiff and sore come race day with a tentative start dropping him from 12th to 18th on the opening lap.

The 32-year-old soon found his rhythm, however, and started gaining places. Finishing twelfth to score the first points since his return from injury.

“That was tough!” Lowes admitted after the 25-lap race. “Today I saw that I don’t have enough muscle or power in my shoulder. Yesterday’s crash inflamed it a bit so in the last five laps, finishing was the priority.

“The grip wasn’t great at the start. I saw a few people crash ahead and then toward the end I had a big gap behind me. I didn’t feel comfortable in the changes of direction but I’m just happy to finish and get some points.

“This is the first race distance I’ve done since June. There were a lot of positives to take from this weekend and I was faster in certain points.

“When I felt fresh, I pushed and wasn’t far off but I’m really happy to see the chequered flag. That’s what I needed to do. I’m never going to be happy with that result but for where I am in my recovery, it’s not bad. Hopefully I can relax over the next few days and just keep going, ahead of Sepang.”