Source: Supplied.

Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK rider Alex Lowes joined Monster Yamaha Tech3 for his first MotoGP laps alongside Suzuka 8 Hours teammate Pol Espargaro at Brno on Monday.

As a reward for winning at Suzuka, Lowes completed 15 laps to record the 12th fastest time at 1m59.558s despite crashing at the end of his session.

“Obviously this was one of the best days of my life!” Lowes said. “From when you’re a kid you dream about an opportunity to ride a MotoGP bike and it was fantastic. Obviously I didn’t do too many laps, but the feel of the bike was incredible.

“The power of the bike and the way that it turns was everything that I expected and even more than that, so it was an incredible experience.

“I have to say a massive thank you to Yamaha for giving me this opportunity, it’s a dream for me. Also a massive thank you to the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team for giving me the opportunity as well and I’m so sorry for the crash, but honestly I really enjoyed the experience and it’s a day I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Lowes said the experience was far different to what he is more accustomed to on his YZF-R1 in World Superbike, especially the power of the YZR-M1.

“The brakes and the tyres are quite a lot different from a WorldSBK bike, but the biggest difference is the power,” he explained. “When I came from my first lap onto the straight I felt the engine’s full power and it was amazing, I couldn’t believe how fast it was, so I would say the biggest difference is the power.

“The crash was on my last couple of laps, nearly at the end of the day and obviously the reason was because I tried to push a bit too much without understanding everything. I broke a bit more and lifted the rear a bit, went a little wide and the track was a bit dirty and I lost he front.

“It was only a small crash but I’m feeling really sorry for that. Honestly, it was a fantastic experience and I really enjoyed it, even if I did only 15 laps, it were the best 15 laps I ever had. The YZR-M1 is so nimble and agile, it’s a big step compared to what I have been used to.

“I have no experience of anything like this before and the way you go from one side to the other, it’s like you are on a cycle bike, it is really easy. So many things felt a lot better for me but were also difficult to understand in the time, but it’s been great.”