Alex Lowes breaks collarbone in Sepang

Alex Lowes is in a race to be fit for his home round of the Superbike World Championship at Donington Park next weekend after breaking his collarbone in Sepang.

The PATA Yamaha rider highsided out of a top six position half-way through the sodden second race at the Malaysian circuit, suffering a fracture to his left clavicle in the fall.

Lowes returned to the UK on Sunday night for further medical assessment and it is not yet known whether he’ll try to ride in his home round as the series heads to Leicestershire’s Donington Park next weekened.

The news will come as a blow for the team, who already have Sylvain Guintoli on the sidelines following a crash in Imola two weeks’ ago. It’s not yet known whether Lowes will try to ride as the World Series rolls into Donington Park for his home round next weekend.

“I really struggled from the start of race two with rear grip coming out of the corners compared to the guys around me,” said Lowes after the race. “I tried my best to perform as well as I could, using different lines and changing my body position to compensate, and then with about six laps to go I tried to push a bit more. I actually managed to make some good passes and was looking at another top five finish but then ultimately I tried a bit hard for the grip I had and paid the price for it. It was quite a heavy crash and I’m in quite a bit of pain but I just need to get myself fixed up and hopefully be back as soon as possible.”