British Superbike Evo series leader Alex Lowes has spoken out about the furore sparked by his split with the WFR Honda team, saying that he was put in an untenable position after being asked to sign a two-year deal to ride for the team on top of a TEN YEAR management contract.
Lowes, who is running away with the spec-ECU series and giving full FIM-spec Superbike riders a seriously hard time, spoke to bikesportnews.com this morning from the Haslam household, where he stayed last night, about the contract he was offered and why it was a non-starter.
"When we started with this back in December, there was no mention of a contract, I said I would ride for a small salary and some win bonuses, which I was happy with and so were they, or so I thought, until I was presented with a contract after qualifying at Croft which I was told to sign, or there would be no ride on the Sunday," said Lowes.
"After telling them there was no point in my not riding on Sunday on the grounds we were already there, I had someone look over the 20-odd page documents and was told it was the most ludicrous thing he had ever seen. They wanted me to sign for two years to ride, which was no problem, but they also wanted to lock me into a personal management contract for ten years.
"Well, I wasn't about to sign my life away to keep a ride for another year in this country. Don't get me wrong, the team and the crew are mega. I really enjoyed riding for them and we were doing really well on it but I wasn't giving in to that ultimatum. This was never about money, I haven't had any of that.
"So now I'm looking around for another ride. It would be nice to get on another Evo bike and make sure I can win that title as we've done so well to lead it by the margin we have so far but I am open to ride anything, really."
WTF!!!!!! a 10 year management contract!! How the hell did they think they could get away with that one??
Alex was bl**dy amazing on that Evo bike! I think they've made a HUGE mistake there!
Hopefully he'll get another ride soon (on a decent bike!)......COS I'VE JUST PUT HIM IN MY FANTASY MCN TEAM
and, as if by magic:
ALEX LOWES will move into the British Superbike big time at Thruxton this weekend after signing for the MSS Colchester Kawasaki team.
The Lincoln rider, who was axed by WFR Honda last week when he refused to sign a long-term management contract with the team, will replace the injured Stuart Easton.
The Scot suffered a broken femur in practice for the North West 200 last week and faces an extended spell on the sidelines.
“It’s a strange situation because I really wanted to get a BSB ride, but this isn’t how I wanted it to happen obviously,” said Lowes.
“It’s a great opportunity to get out on the MSS bike, but the focus has got to be on Stuart’s recovery.
“He’s a mega racer and a real inspiration to lots of young riders.
“We all want to see him back where he belongs at BSB.”
The highly-rated Lowes was the obvious candidate to fill Easton’s shoes after testing for the Essex-based outfit over the winter.
The 20-year-old has shot to prominence this year after some outstanding displays for Evo class outfit WFR Honda.
Lowes leads the Evo standings by 60 points after five wins out of six. He has also given riders in the main championship, like Easton and team-mate Gary Mason, a run for their money.
MSS team boss Nick Morgan admitted that the timing of Lowes’ signing was difficult in light of Easton’s serious injuries.
“The thoughts of our whole team are with Stuart, (wife) Claire and (son) Finlay and their families,” said Morgan.
“He has lots of work to do and will need plenty of support, which I know he will get.
“With regards to Thruxton, this is a really difficult decision to make at such an exceptionally sensitive time.
“If I’m honest both ourselves and Alex feel terrible over the timing.
“That said, Alex has no ride and when we approached him he was keen to try to ride the bike and continue the great development job that both Stuart and Gary have carried out.”
In Easton’s hands, the Kawasaki has been one of the front-runners in BSB this season.
![Alex Lowes walks from WFR - Forums [Biker Match]](/images/backgrounds/strips/8mobileLQ.jpg)
![Alex Lowes walks from WFR - Forums [Biker Match]](/images/backgrounds/strips/8desktopLQ.jpg)
