The newest force in WorldSBK racing, Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team (BbKRT), has just completed its first on-track test session since the Bimota machine was first unveiled to the public at Jerez on 21 October.
The two-day test at Jerez, the same venue as the final round of the 2024 season, was an important first step for the BbKRT venture and some of its 2025 season rivals.
Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani rode only on the second available day of the test, 23 October, while test rider Florian Marino was the first to introduce the new machine’s track package and overall image on Tuesday, 22 October.
Despite the project being at an early stage, Bassani set the fastest lap time of the second day, with a 1’38.478. Lowes continued the positive early trend with a 1’38.679, to go second quickest on day two. On day one of the tests, only one rider posted a faster lap time than Axel or Alex over the whole test.
In contrast to the many new parts on the machine itself, the team comprises the great majority of the staff that operated the official Kawasaki Racing Team over the years.
The next test for the BbKRT project will be at the Motorland Aragon Circuit in northern Spain between 29 and 30 October.
Alex Lowes stated: “We started to try a few things on the bike to see how the changes affected it and the feeling from the bike. These are all the things that will be different when we start the races. We have to start the learning process all over again. We started quite well, so we decided to try many things. It took some time and energy, but it was pretty positive. In the hot part of the day, we tried to keep the same pace to try all the different parts. Going fast today was not too important, but it is always nice to show that the bike is quick. The pace was OK, but we had a lot of work to do to understand how to ride the bike. This is where our focus needs to be.”
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Axel Bassani stated: “We took part in our first day of testing with the new bike at Jerez, and we had to discover everything at the beginning. I think the team did very well, and the bike was nice. I felt good about it, so I am happy. We have a lot of work to do, but for the moment, we are doing a really good job. My best lap was half a second better than my Superpole last week in the Jerez race, so my feeling with the bike is good, and I can push. This is only the start of a new era with Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team, but when you start well, it is always nice.”
Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Alex Lowes, stated: “We finished our test with the Bimota bike, and it feels positive. On the first day, we made all the checks with Florian, the test rider, to prepare for the second day of testing with the riders. I feel very positive about lap time because we have been reaching the same level as we did before. To be already on this level is very positive. On the other hand, we need more time to give the rider the best feeling with the bike. We must study and work a lot during the winter to arrive in the best shape possible in Australia for the first round of the 2025 season. But the starting point is very good and promising, and we are very happy. Alex was fast, and Axel was fast, so this is the moment to be calm and work hard to take the next steps.”
Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Axel Bassani, stated: “We got a good impression of the bike from the first lap, and we made some minor adjustments. We played a bit with the rider’s position and got familiar with some adjustments and the general balance of the bike. With very minor adjustments, we could give Axel a good feeling. We used two Q tyres, and Axel went four-tenths faster on the second one than the first. A very positive first day. It was not our target to be that fast on our first day, but it is nice to get such lap times. We will continue testing in a few days.”
