Alex Lowes - Q&A (BSB showdown)

By Christian Tiburtius

An exclusive interview with Alex Lowes on the eve of this weekend's MCE British Superbike title showdown at Brands Hatch.

Samsung Honda star Lowes - twin brother of newly crowned World Supersport champion Sam - starts this weekend's triple header just one point behind reigning champion Shane Byrne...

Crash.net:
I guess your dad's a pretty proud, but nervous man at the moment?

Alex Lowes:
I think my mum's a lot more nervous than my dad. But my dad's helped me out a lot and I don't think I'd be here if it wasn't for him so it would be nice if now that Sam's won his championship I could win this. I'd like to make him really proud.

Crash.net:
In your difficult year at Kawasaki MSS did it seem possible to be in this position?

Alex Lowes:
That was actually the best year of my career. People often don't understand why I say that but when you make mistakes and errors it means that you get to the end of the year and you really look at yourself and you can realise how it went wrong. I had good people around me and some great advice but I just chose not to listen properly at some point and that happened.

I feel a better person after that. Now when things happen I know I've been at that point before, I've seen the bad side of the sport and not having a ride and that makes me appreciate what I've got now.

You can never win anything unless you learn how to lose and that year I was losing a lot, like walking back from the gravel trap to learn I'd been fired. That year has made me a better rider and a better person away from the bike.

Crash.net:
Going into the title shootout you seem to be a much more measured rider.

Alex Lowes:
Oh yeah, 100%, I was young and stupid then and jumped on the Superbike for the first time and put it on pole and without trying to big yourself up in your head you think 'I'm awesome'.

I'd never ridden the bike before Friday, jumped on it and put it on pole and when you're 19 or 20 you're going to think like that. So I thought, 'Yeah I can do this' but it didn't quite happen like that. People were saying what I couldn't do but I thought I could. Now I'm not like that. I learned the hard way and now when people give advice I listen to it.

If I hadn't had that year I might not do that and be here now and might not be able to deal with the kind of situations I'm in.

Crash.net:
Would you say that this is the most important race weekend of your career?

Alex Lowes:
Yeah I would. It's exciting. You could make it scary by saying that this is where I've worked to be since joining the championship or you can say that I've worked hard and done really well to be at this position in the championship and that's the position I've dreamed of being in, so I'm not going to get too nervous.

As long as I do my best, I can hold my head high win lose or whatever comes on Sunday afternoon.

Crash.net:
So did you feel more nervous watching your brother go for the title?

Alex Lowes:
100% more nervous for him. The thing is I can't control what he does whereas when I'm on the grid and on the bike it's all down to me. I know I've done everything I can, I've trained hard and the only person who can mess it up is me and you can deal with that.

If I lose the championship because I made a mistake and didn't ride good enough, I can live with that as long as I've done my best. I know I can win though, I've won on lots of different tracks in BSB but whether I can put the three races together is a different story.

With feeling nervous for Sam it's like riding pillion with somebody else controlling the bike. If you put me on the back of even a slow rider, I don't like it. I need to be in control. The things you feel most nervous about are the things you can't control and that's how I feel about watching Sam ride. I want him to get what he deserves for working so hard.

I was really proud of him and the moment I knew he'd won I had a little cry in my helmet in park ferme at Silverstone because I'd just won the first race. I thought, 'I've just won the first race at Silverstone and Sam's just won the championship' and sometimes you've got to take yourself out of the box and look at the bigger picture because ten years ago I was on the other side of the fence watching Shakey.

When you're here in the moment you forget how far you've come. It's a dream for me to ride one of these Samsung Hondas and if you'd told Sam he was going to win the championship when he was twelve, he wouldn't have believed you.

Crash.net:
Did you feel there was a moment mid-season when the momentum went in your direction?

Alex Lowes:
I'd just got into a new team, there was a lot more complication and PR, it's a very big and different team and the bike works very differently with the Ohlins suspension. If you look at my season last year it was the same, I started off low and came strong at the end.

With the way the showdown is you need to be like that. There's no point in winning the first ten races and then not at the end of the year. If I could win the race I was going to win the race, but I needed to be consistent and use my head because I could lose the championship with a crash at the beginning.

We started off the year quite steady but after the summer break I've said to myself that I needed to start winning races, I'd only won two and Shakey had won seven or eight and since then I've won five in a row. It was a decision because I didn't want to lose out on podium credits and wanted to keep the momentum going into the showdown. It was definitely a conscious thing.

Crash.net:
You've got three races, are you going to ride the three tactically or go for the win every time?

Alex Lowes:
You need to win. Whatever the weather I'm going to be the most positive person out there, if it's snowing I'll still be that. If I crash trying to win the championship... you've just got to win.

I said to the team that Shakey's going to be quick, he's awesome around here and if I worry about what he's doing it's going to affect how I ride the bike. I've just got to go out and do my best on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then I can't do anything else. But it's got to be an honest best, I don't want to let conditions or where Shakey is get to me. I've got to beat him.

The only thing I couldn't handle is blowing it by being ahead by a few seconds and then binning it or getting a little tight and not riding like I can because then I wouldn't have done my best.

Crash.net:
It looks like you're really enjoying riding the Honda at the moment.

Alex Lowes:
That minute just after I'd finished the race at Silverstone. We'd just had a great race, Shakey'd beaten me but we'd just had a brilliant race, the bike was working great and everything was fantastic and if it ended like that on Sunday afternoon I wouldn't say I'd be upset. I really love the Samsung Honda and I love the team.

When I went into the team at the beginning of the year I was a little bit worried because it had this serious reputation but I've not had any of that. I've been exactly as I've always been and I haven't changed and that means I can still enjoy riding the bike. When I exit the pit lane I always do a little wheelie.

Crash.net:
And what about next year?

Alex Lowes:
I honestly don't know what I'm doing and I haven't signed a contract. Obviously I'd like to do a world championship, if I stay in BSB though I'll ride for Samsung Honda.

If I had an opportunity to ride in a world championship though I'm not saying I wouldn't do it because I can deal with riding in a world championship and the coming back because I'm not quick enough. But I can't stay in England too long and not have an opportunity to do that. I think I'd be upset because I hadn't tried it.

Crash.net:
Which paddocks have you had offers from?

Alex Lowes:
WSBK, Moto2 and MotoGP.

Crash.net:
Thanks Alex and good luck for tomorrow.

Alex Lowes:
Thanks.