WorldSBK ?
As of last year , Lowes - the Alex version - has finally been reunited on track as a competitor to the other Lowes - the Sam version . Their paths in the big time professional careers have almost never crossed , which is slightly mad in that being identical twins that live more-or-les round the corner from each other in the UK , spent an inordinate amount of time in each other ’ s company . They are in different WorldSBK teams , for different manufacturers of course , so their daytime hours are spent apart , but it has been WorldSBK that has reunited the Lowes boys . “ We spend evenings in the motorhomes together , but try to do our jobs in the day ,” said Alex . “ I have a routine , he has a routine , he is working with his guys , I am working with my guys . There is not so much media stuff , let ’ s say , that we can do together , but we spend a lot of time together at night on the tracks . We travelled together to all the races last year , had a bit of golf on Wednesdays or Thursdays . It has been nice to spend a lot more time together . We still have a target to get each of us on the podium together at some point .”
Stefano Manzi - Pata Yamaha Ten Kate team
Stefano rides for the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate WorldSSP team , and came to this paddock in a very different fashion to Alex Lowes . Manzi now hopes to emulate Sam Lowes by winning the WorldSSP Championship for Yamaha , as Sam did way back in 2013 . The Italian rider has been the Championship runner up in the previous two seasons , after a full year inside the Triumph WorldSSP in 2022 .
Given his very different racing background to Alex , what does WorldSSP mean to Manzi in 2025 ?
“ For me it means the restart of my career ,” said Stefano from a pre-season test of the new R9 in Spain . “ I was close to the end of it , but when I swapped to here it was not easy . Even at the beginning of year one when I was sitting at home with no team and no bike for 2023 . But then WorldSSP gave me ( yet ) another chance to rebuild .”
There have been a number of former Moto2 riders in recent years who have come to WorldSSP and not just won races but World Championships . So , do WorldSSP riders still think that coming to WorldSSP is a way to guarantee success ? “ No , but in the past , everybody has thought about that ,” said Stefano . “ If you did not have success ( in GP racing ) you could come here and win easily . Now I think everyone knows that if you swap from Moto2 / Moto3 it ’ s not any more like you can come and win in WorldSSP easily , or win from the beginning . Now , some riders come from Moto2 and struggle to stay inside the top ten . I think the current level is very high . WorldSSP is a good class and if you look at the races on TV , it is also an enjoyable class .”
The ‘ Next Generation ’ rules inside WorldSSP have led to more and more competitive packages from a great variety of bigger engine displacements and designs - which have not always helped the kind of ‘ legacy ’ 600cc four-cylinder bikes like Manzi has raced over the past two years . “ The Next Generation rules have helped a lot on one side , and made some people struggle on the other side ,” said Manzi . “ But , in general , it was a good thing that happened to the class .”
And now Manzi has a 900cc Next Generation R9 triple to play with .
WHAT DOES WorldSBK MEAN TO ME 55