The debut of the Marc VDS team in the Superbike World Championship is one of the most anticipated of the 2024 season and last night the Belgian team presented its bike with which it will race in the series derivative championship. Sam Lowes has unveiled the Panigale V4R that he will have for his debut in Superbike. New challenge for the Briton, who after ten seasons in the world championship in the Moto2 class, embraces a new project and dives into the production derivatives, where he finds his brother Alex (confirmed in the official Kawasaki team). For Sam Lowes, however, it is almost a return to the past: in 2013 he had in fact won the Supersport world title, but this time he returns to the paddock to race in Superbike, the premier class of the championship.
The bike, which features the classic colors of Marc Van der Straten's team, was unveiled last night in the setting of the Château de Modave, in Belgium. The Superbike team that will support Sam Lowes is almost entirely Italian and will be led by crew chief Giovanni Crupi, while Stefano Guidi will be in charge of telemetry. Carmine Oliva, Marco Pascucci and Nicolas Guichard will be the mechanics.
“I am very happy and proud to continue working with this great team and to race for Marc once again,” says Sam Lowes. “It is a great new challenge for me to change category after a long time and I am very happy and motivated to get started. I would like to thank Marc for asking me to be his team's first rider in WorldSBK. The bike is beautiful and it's an incredible feeling to ride a Ducati. The livery is fantastic and it's really special to represent Marc and this team in WorldSBK.”
Sam Lowes' bike, Team MarcVDS
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Photo by: Marc VDS
Sam Lowes, Team MarcVDS
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Photo by: Marc VDS
Sam Lowes, Team MarcVDS
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Photo by: Marc VDS
Sam Lowes, Team MarcVDS
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Photo by: Marc VDS
Sam Lowes, Team MarcVDS
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Photo by: Marc VDS
Sam Lowes, Team MarcVDS
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Photo by: Marc VDS
Sam Lowes, Team MarcVDS
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Photo by: Marc VDS
Sam Lowes' bike, Team MarcVDS
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Photo by: Marc VDS
Sam Lowes' bike, Team MarcVDS
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Photo by: Marc VDS
Sam Lowes' bike, Team MarcVDS
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Photo by: Marc VDS
Sam Lowes' bike, Team MarcVDS
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Photo by: Marc VDS
“I'm really excited to continue working with my new crew chief Giovanni to improve my knowledge of the bike. I just need to learn the bike, the tires and the format in a race weekend with the three races. The first goal of the test will be to make the bike my own and feel comfortable. I need laps and kilometers on the bike to understand many things. But this will come and if we were to race today, I feel we could do a good job. That is the goal anyway to fight at the front. I hope to be able to fight for podiums and victories and to learn a lot. Being the best independent driver must also be a goal”, continues the British driver.
Marc Van der Straten, boss of the Marc VDS team, says: “15 January 2024 will always be a memorable date for me, because today we present our Moto2 team and the Elf Marc VDS Racing family grows with the arrival of our new WorldSBK team It was really nice and motivating to see our three bikes with their talented riders on stage, and to know that they will give their all to achieve their goals. In Moto2, with Tony Arbolino and Filip Salac, we will continue our search for victories and podiums in our bid to win the World Championship. In the WorldSBK Championship, we are faced with a great and exciting new challenge. Even though we are only at the beginning, we are very well prepared and supported by Sam Lowes' brilliant talent and technical quality of Ducati. We know that together we can do great things. Finally, I would like to thank all our friends and partners who continue to support our projects and share our great passion season after season. Let's enjoy a great 2024 together.”
Marco Zambenedetti, Ducati SBK project management manager, declares: “It is an enormous pleasure that the name of Ducati shines together with the Marc VDS Racing family. Their three world titles in Moto2, the excellent results achieved in over a decade and, above all, their commitment to excellence, make this team an ideal partner. Furthermore, we are delighted that Sam Lowes will be at the controls of our Ducati Panigale V4 R Superbike. Ducati will do everything possible to help him demonstrate his speed and talent and we are convinced that his experience will help us grow too. Finally, I would like to thank Marc van der Straten and the team for the trust placed in Ducati in accompanying them in this new adventure in WorldSBK. I'm sure it will be an exciting season for everyone.”
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