DW Racing’s Andy Lowe demonstrated top-six potential in Round 4 of the 2024-25 Gulf Radical Cup at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit (31 January-2 February).
In the first of two 25-minute sprint races, Lowe initially lost out to Bankcy but quickly regrouped, recovering his starting position of 11th and going off in pursuit of the top ten contenders.
More than two seconds adrift of the fight for ninth involving Alexandr Novichkov and Amir Feyzulin, Lowe eventually found an extra gear to reduce his deficit and make it a three-way battle for P9.
In fact, although the trio were evenly matched, Lowe chipped away and was within six tenths of a second of the tenth-placed #15 Radical SR3 XXR of Dubai-domiciled Feyzulin when the chequered flag fell.
Lowe’s Sprint Race 2 start was far stronger, as he surged from 11th to fifth through the first sequence of corners and maintained position until he was squeezed as he emerged from underneath the iconic W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island hotel.
Wolverhampton, England-based Lowe span to 21st and last at the apex of Turn 14 but, fired up, registered the sixth-fastest racing lap on a dogged drive to 14th, and the strength of his recovery inspired confidence that a desired top-six finish was achievable in Sunday’s 45-minute Enduro Race.
Ninth and on the tail of sprint sparring partner Novichkov at the completion of lap one, Lowe became slightly detached from the lead eight when he was forced to fight a rearguard action against Abu Dhabi-based Alim Geshev.
However, hopes of a top-six result literally went up in smoke, as a gearbox failure caused oil to leak onto the #4 SR3 XXR’s hot exhaust and ignite.
Yas Marina Circuit’s marshals sprang into action to extinguish the fire, with Lowe safe and well after extracting himself from the car.
It was a disappointing end to a weekend in which the British driver had shown great promise, and he said: “I was longing for a top-six result but was disappointed with my qualifying performances and my Sprint Race 1 start, and the gearbox failure that brought the Enduro Race to an end was just unfortunate.
“I finished Sprint Race 1 in my starting position of 11th following a great three-way fight with Alexandr Novichkov and Amir Feyzulin, and the frustration motivated me to push at the start of the second contest. I went from 11th to fifth and maintained position until I was squeezed into a spin at the exit of the hotel section. It was pretty hairy pointing the wrong direction but, thankfully, everyone missed me and I was able to recover from 21st to 14th.”
Lowe added: “I feel this weekend is a missed opportunity because I posted the sixth fastest lap time in Sprint Race 2. Having said that, I’m pleased with my driving and the improvements made with the help of DW Racing, which once again put in a lot of hard work to give me a super competitive car. In fact, I’m pretty hopeful that a P6 result will come when we return to Yas Marina Circuit for the fifth round of the 2024-25 Gulf Radical Cup ( 21-23 February).”
