With the first test of the World SBK of the calendar year 2025, on January 22 and 23, the bimota project by Kawasaki Racing Team (BbKRT) and its two riders, Axel Bassani et alex lowes, returned to the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for the third time since the appearance of the KB998 Rimini bike in the Superbike World Championship.
At this particular test, the team, in general, was looking to get closer to a final base setup for the new machine before the WorldSBK season begins in earnest in a month's time. The Italian and the Briton finished fifth and tenth respectively in the general classification.
alex lowes and his team worked mainly on his new ergonomic set in dry conditions, while the side Axel Bassani The BbKRT garage team focused on improving the bike's set-up in first dry and then wet track conditions. Strong winds blew through both days of testing in Jerez, which had a significant effect on the riders themselves and on the team's decisions on how best to use track time.
The first day went well, with dry conditions, although there were some wet areas that persisted after the overnight rain. The second day proved to be wet throughout the day, prompting alex lowes not to take the track. Axel Bassani did a few laps in the wet, as did the test driver
Xavi Fores.
The test pilots Xavi Artigas, Florian Marino et
Xavi Fores were on track even before the official riders took to the track on January 22, sharing the track on January 21 with several WorldSSP riders.
Another test in Portimao is scheduled for 28-29 January, before the team's official launch in Italy on 6 February. The BbKRT riders will have a final opportunity on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 February to test the bike ahead of the first races of the year at Phillip Island in Australia. The first round of the season will take place at the same Phillip Island circuit from 21-23 February.
alex lowes : “It’s nice to get back on the bike. I felt better than I expected straight away, even though there were still some damp spots. I felt really good on the bike. After two pit lane exits we started to switch to testing mode, because we had new parts for the fuel tank and the riding position. It took us a few pit lane exits to feel comfortable with these elements. I managed to feel comfortable and we confirmed the new tank, the new seat and the new riding position. We made two or three good steps forward. We also had things to do off the bike, with new parts coming in etc. With the wind we decided to do only four hours of testing on the first day. Every time we work with the new bike it’s important. The runs we did were pretty consistent. There's still a lot to do, but I think it was a good day of testing in Jerez."
Axel Bassani : “We had two good days of testing, even though we only did half a day on track each time. We didn’t do many laps, but we collected a lot of data, and that’s important. It was even more important because the second day was the first time I rode the bimota in the wet. The first day in the dry went well, even if it was difficult because there was a lot of wind. The base of the bike wasn’t bad and the lap time wasn’t very fast, but not slow either. For us, every day is important to understand what we need to do and what we need to improve. On the rear end, I don’t have the feeling I want yet, so we’re working to find improvements in that area. The team now has some data to work on for the next test in Portimao.”
Riba pears (Alex Lowes team leader): “The plan was to do a full day of testing in dry conditions because we are careful to follow the rules about how many days of testing you can have. The first day, with Alex, we spent half a day on track because it was very, very windy. In terms of the elements we wanted to test, we had to be clear and understand the decisions and directions. We worked with Alex in many small areas and it was very good. We didn’t have to use soft tyres, we just focused on the job and the plan we wanted. A day before Alex started, we brought in our new test riders, Xavi Fores and Xavi Artigas. Florian Marino has done a great job throughout the development of this new bike, so I want to thank him. It was raining on the last day of this test in Jerez so we decided not to do any laps with Alex, but we did a few laps with Fores to gather information. All his comments were very clear. This test was very positive, even if the weather was not very good, and we are now looking forward to going to Portimao."
Marcel Duinker (Axel Bassani’s team leader): “Our experience with the new bike and Axel is still quite recent. This was only the third day with Axel on the new bike. First of all, I have to congratulate Bimota, Kawasaki and the team for all the progress made since the previous test at the end of November. All the equipment we asked for was ready to test here. We had four hours of efficient testing on the first day, and today was the first time we used the bike in the wet. We gathered very valuable information. The conditions in November in Jerez and the ones we had in this test were very different. We went from high grip conditions to lower grip conditions, and so the bike behaved differently. This is not a negative; we just learned a lot that we will take to the next test. The weather was a bit inconsistent, but we gathered very valuable information. I can't wait to be in Portimao, and in three weeks we'll already be on the other side of the planet. Things are moving!"
Jerez Test Day 1
Jerez Test Day 2
