Returning to a track where he finished on the podium last year, Lowes set a time of 1m39.107s at the beginning of first practice on Friday morning, just before rain rendered the track too wet for any slick running.
It was hoped that second practice in the afternoon would allow riders to complete some lap in dry conditions and overhaul Lowes’ benchmark from earlier in the day, but the rain returned just minutes before the session was due to begin.
