PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia — Alex Lowes doubled up on MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship victories on Sunday as he won a red-flagged race two at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
The race-winning move came on the final lap at turn nine when the No. 22 Kawasaki rider stormed around the outside of Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) at Lukey Heights as he started the 2024 season in stunning fashion during the Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) got the holeshot as he went in search of a first race win. He maintained his lead despite a challenge from Lowes, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), although the latter made his way into first at the start of lap four.
On lap three, Razgatlioglu’s charge came to an end. A technical issue at turn nine forced the 2021 champion to retire and caused chaos behind, with Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) surging up to fourth.
However, Rea crashed at the end of lap three with the race red flagged on lap four. Rea was seen being taken away on the stretcher, but he was conscious and taken to the medical center for a check-up.
The race was restarted over an 11-lap race which took out the mandatory pit stop.
The grid for the restarted race was based on the last completed timing point for each rider, with Bautista lining from the front row alongside Locatelli and Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven), who surged up the order in the first three laps including an incredible double move on Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) and Rea. Bautista maintained the lead, but the big mover was Rinaldi who went from P6 to second and challenging Bautista for the lead as they pulled away from the chasing back.
Rinaldi stayed within half-a-second of his former teammate, although, despite looking like he was attempting a move into turn one on several occasions, he didn’t make a move. Behind, Lowes was closing in on Rinaldi, passing the Italian for second on lap eight.
The trio had pulled away from Iannone, who ran wide on a couple of occasions, while Locatelli was fighting back after dropping down the order when the race started.
On lap nine, Locatelli passed Rinaldi on the exit of turn 10 as his fight back continued although it came to an end on the final lap turn four when Locatelli crashed while trying to pass Alex Lowes and retired from the race after what had been an incredible performance all weekend. It allowed Bautista and the No. 22 to fight for victory, and the Brit secured his second win of the day in an almost unbelievable move. He went around the outside of Bautista at Lukey Heights on the final lap.
Bautista tried to re-pass the Kawasaki rider, but he was unable with the duo separated by just .048 seconds. Locatelli’s crash promoted Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) into third, after he battled Iannone on the final lap with less than a tenth separating the two Italians. It completes a superb weekend for Barni Ducati.
It was Lowes’ fourth win in WorldSBK, with three of them coming at the legendary Australian circuit.