WorldSBK Australia, crashes and injuries for Sam Lowes and Mattia Rato: the riders' conditions

Two Superbike riders suffered physical consequences following crashes in the final race at Phillip Island.

The first round of 2026 has been filed away with SBK Race 2 run on a wet track, a condition that didn’t stop Nicolò Bulega from winning his third race of the weekend. But it wasn’t a positive afternoon in Australia for everyone. Some riders recorded results below expectations, some retired, and others also suffered physical issues. In this last category are Sam Lowes and Mattia Rato.

Rato crashed at Turn 4 at the start of Race 2 and was subsequently taken to the Phillip Island circuit Medical Center for a check-up: he was diagnosed with a contusion to his right shoulder. It’s not a serious injury for the Yamaha Motoxracing team rider, one of the rookies in the 2026 Superbike World Championship.

It went worse for Lowes, who was also taken to the Medical Center after a crash: a fracture of the left wrist, a contusion to the right hand, and a contusion to the left ankle. The British rider for the Elf Marc VDS team seemed to have podium potential, but a crash at Turn 4 forced him to retire and left him injured. The next WorldSBK round will be in Portimão on the weekend of March 27–29, and Alex Lowes’ twin (who also crashed in Race 2) is expected to line up regularly in Portugal.

It’s worth remembering that due to injuries, two riders were unable to take part in this weekend at Phillip Island at all: Somkiat Chantra and Jake Dixon, the new pairing for the Honda HRC team. The Thai rider fractured a forearm during training at Sepang and did not take part in any pre-season tests. The Englishman, on the other hand, was injured on the second day of testing in Australia, sustaining multiple fractures to his left wrist and hand. He underwent surgery in Melbourne, and exact recovery times are unknown. Chantra will race as normal in Portimão, while there’s still some waiting to better understand Dixon’s situation.