alex lowes, rider of the Kawasaki Racing team, will not participate in the tenth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship which will take place at the Motorland circuit in Spain.
After being forced to withdraw from the final two races of the previous round in France, and having an operation to remove the damaged meniscus from his left knee shortly afterwards, the decision has now been made to skip the round at Motorland Aragon for the British driver.
The team's usual test driver, Florian Marino, will take charge of the second official Ninja ZX-10RR this weekend, joining KRT's overall race weekend setup alongside Jonathan Rea. Qualifying and the race will take place from September 22 to 24.
alex lowes : “After Magny Cours, I made the difficult decision to go to Barcelona to have knee surgery. The operation went well. Since then, I have focused entirely on my recovery and worked as hard as I could. Physically, I feel good and in a position that allows me to ride. However, the team decided that the best option was to wait for Portugal next weekend. I respect their decision and focus on supporting Florian, Jonathan and the team, while improving in time for the next event in Portimao. It's a shame because I showed great speed during the recent Aragon tests and the Magny Cours weekend. But, that is behind us now, and it is time to look forward and try to get on the podium again before the end of the 2023 season."
Florian Marino : “First of all, I wish my friend and driver Alex Lowes a good recovery. I know he will come back stronger and compete again very soon. For me it is a great opportunity as a test driver for the KRT. I think this weekend will also help me improve my understanding of the Kawasaki ZX-10RR and, of course, I look forward to working with the technical team. Personally, I have no expectations, I'm just going to try to make the most of this opportunity for everyone involved. Thanks to Kawasaki and Provec Racing for their trust! »
Guim Roda (KRT team director): “We decided to let Alex rest at home for this round, but he is training hard to be at 110% for the Portimao round. Just nine days after knee surgery, we didn't want to force his body through the stress of racing, to let him recover properly. We could keep a bike in the pit for one race, but together with KMC Japan we decided to give Florian a chance to race. He is already a test rider for KRT, so he will race at Motorland and continue to collect data to develop the bike in real racing conditions. This will be a good way to see the pace he is able to achieve, as he will continue to work through the winter months to test elements at the highest level. »
