Preparations for the FIM World Championship Superbike 2024 continues for the official Kawasaki Racing Team with the first test of the new year taking place on January 24-25, at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto in Spain.
The drivers of the 2024 KRT team, alex lowes et Axel Bassani, have already tested some development pieces and tuning strategies for the 2024 team at the end of last season. In this imminent first test of the new calendar year, they will evaluate the latest options and offerings that the short but intense development period of Kawasaki, and all its partners, has brought to the fore.
Alex is about to enter his fifth season with the KRT team, having won a race in his first race weekend on the Ninja ZX-10RR. This season will be new for Lowes, not only because he has a new teammate in Bassani, but also because there will be several new technical regulations and some immediate personnel changes in his garage, which he will have to understand and then maximize to their full potential.
The 2024 campaign will be an even deeper experience for the latest driver to join KRT, Axel Bassani. Arriving at KRT as the reigning independent rider champion in WorldSBK, the 2024 campaign will allow Axel his first taste of preparation and competition at factory level. He is as eager to get back on track as one would expect, given this new opportunity to continue the learning curve of his career with the official Kawasaki Racing Team. The two-day test in Jerez provides another opportunity for Bassani to better understand his official Ninja ZX-10RR, which is a very different bike setup to his recent experiences in WorldSBK.
After the Jerez test, there will be two more days of testing before the entire KRT team travels to Phillip Island, Australia, to take part in the official DWO pre-season testing on February 19-20. The season will begin in earnest, still at Phillip Island, from February 23 to 25. The championship will consist of 12 rounds in total, with the final race weekend taking place in Jerez at the end of October.
alex lowes (Kawasaki Racing team rider): “The goal is to unlock the potential that I showed with my pace, so that we can achieve a strong and consistent championship. January testing begins with a test in Jerez and shortly after in Portimao. Our goal is to work on the performance of our used tires, as we seemed to fall more than the others in 2023. We have a lot of ideas and new things to work on during these test days in order to obtain all the necessary information before leaving for Australia. It's always nice to see the team again and get back to work. I missed it. »
Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing team rider): “The team and Kawasaki worked a lot during the short winter break. There hasn't been a very long break since testing ended last year and we will start again very early in the year. We need to do a lot, and quickly, to start the new season. For my part, I have to stay calm and concentrate on my work, because it is a new challenge for me. A completely different team and bike. I have to learn a lot of things for my first year as a factory driver. It's not easy because you have to fight in every race for podiums or victories, but that's what I'm here for. I'm ready and I'm working hard. I am very excited to start this new adventure with this special brand. »
Guim Roda (KRT team director): “We will soon be back on the track after the Christmas holidays. KRT and KMC have worked quietly, but tirelessly, this winter. We have organized our structure and the team to achieve new objectives during the 2024 season. Alex worked a lot to arrive in full possession of his means in Jerez, and Axel worked on certain physical improvements that we asked him to make. reach. In 2024, KRT will also lease a motorcycle from Kawasaki Puccetti Racing, and this is the first time a KRT replica motorcycle will be run by a "satellite" team. We are convinced that Tito Rabat and Kawasaki Puccetti Racing can take a step forward, and at the same time help us with good data to continually improve the bike. We are going to start a new era without Jonathan Rea, and we are all motivated to work on every detail to continue to be part of the WorldSBK spectacle and provide Kawasaki fans with enjoyable moments to savor on the circuits. »
