WorldSBK: Alex Lowes wins a dramatic red-flagged Race Two

Alex Lowes leads Kawasaki to second in the constructor standings after Phillip Island.

It all came down to this, the battle for glory at Phillip Island and the first round of the season. Heading into the final race of the weekend, Nicolo Bulega and Alex Lowes had been crowned winners. In Race Two, Lowes won his second race, claiming his second win in a row and the Championship lead. It is already looking to be a WorldSBK season which we go down in the history books.

On the starting grid, it was Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who qualified on pole after winning the Superpole Race. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) lined up in second after craving his way through the field in Sunday morning’s race. Meanwhile in third was Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) who rounded off a competitive front row.

The race was originally planned to start at 05:00 am GMT but would be delayed by an hour and 15 minutes. This was due to an oil leak in an Australian Superbike race at turn two which took time to clean up.

Racing was underway

Leading into turn one Andrea Locatelli led after a perfect start and gave him a clear track. Lowes had a battle on his hands with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) chasing in third. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had a strong start to the race, able to battle at the front.

Razgatlioglu’s race did not last long with his BMW expiring on the second lap of the race. The 2021 WorldSBK Champion managed to get the bike safely and quickly off the circuit on the entry to Lukey Heights.

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) looked to have found a setting, battling within the top five in the opening stage of the race. Rea was involved in a crash at turn 11, bringing out the red flag.

The restart

The restart would be an 11-lap race with no pitstops to take place in an all-out sprint restart. Rea and Razgatlioglu did not restart the race in a reduced field for a quick restart race. The front row looked different with Alvaro Bautista being promoted to pole position. Locatelli joined him in second and Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) in third.

At turn one, it was Alvaro Bautista who led the way from a surprising Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing). Rinaldi had the start of his life, demoting, Locatelli to third position.

It was an all-out duel for the lead between the ex-Ducati teammates, allowing the rest of the pack to catch. The lead group was big, going back to Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing) in seventh place. As the race progressed the group stretched with Iannone and Petrucci battling with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team).

Race One winner, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had a tough start to his race, and with a handful of laps remaining he began to climb his way to eighth.

It was a great show for the Australian fans with Locatelli now catching the leaders, adding tension to the race. Meanwhile, Alex Lowes found a way past Rinaldi and began to chase Bautista who led by 0.659 with three laps to go.

Lowes continued to chip away, leading to a titanic battle on the final lap of the final race of the weekend. At Miller Corner, Locatelli ran in too fast, locking the rear and highsiding out the race. Meanwhile, the #22 picked his opportunity and pulled off a spectacular move for the lead around the outside at Lukey Heights.

Lowes on top

This move allowed Alex Lowes to win Race Two at Phillip Island and win his second race of the weekend. Bautista came home in second just 0.048 behind with Petrucci managing to pip a podium at the line.

Andrea Iannone was fourth onboard the satellite Ducati, finishing ahead of Nicolo Bulega who had an incredible last three laps. Michael Ruben Rinaldi’s pace dropped at the end of the race resulting in a sixth-place finish.

Sam Lowes ended his weekend in seventh position in Marc VDS’ first weekend in the WorldSBK paddock. He was ahead of the top BMW, Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) who had a good first weekend in 2024. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) Was ninth. With Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rounded out the top 10.

It was a dramatic weekend with Alex Lowes leaving it as the WorldSBK Championship leader for Kawasaki. The paddock will have to wait just under one month for the next round at Catalunya on the 22-24 of March.

Image credit: worldsbk.com