Big Eyes: The Other Lowes Highsides the Aprilia MotoGP bike at Phillip Island

The other Lowes, factory Aprilia rider in 2017, suffered a big crash at the recent Phillip Island test.

When a young rider steps on a MotoGP bike for the first time, all things seem possible.

There is incredible power, deft braking and complex electronics to assist a rider.

At first it seems like success is a foregone conclusion.

Back in the 500 days veteran riders would wait in the pit lane for rookie riders to come in after their first laps on a GP bike.

They’d look to see if he had “big eyes” or not. The bigger the pupils the more terrified he’d probably been.

Then after a new GP rider has a few big crashes the realization comes.

That the MotoGP bike isn’t always trying to help you get success.

Under some conditions the power, braking and electronics are …

Working in unison to actually try to maim or kill you.

Later, on the plane home a new rider will realize that if the bike had landed just a few feet more to the left

He’d be in a hospital or worse instead of in First Class.

Or, if his arm had bent the other way his hand would have went straight into the rear chain and sprocket.

Post-crash there’s so much adrenaline flowing you can pick up the bike easily (unless you’re Pedrosa).

The ‘Holy sh*t did that just happen?’ moment.

Lowes was luck that in this crash he wasn’t too injured.

A bump from the corner worker and it’s back to work.

Images by Marco Guidetti (The)