Alex Lowes assesses Bimota’s standing in World Superbike pecking order
“In the test we’ve been in the mix”
Alex Lowes says the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team has found “a good starting point” with the KB998 ahead of the 2025 World Superbike season.
Bimota returns to the WSBK paddock in 2025 in partnership with Kawasaki, having been a successful entrant in the early days of the championship.
Lowes, who has been a Kawasaki rider since the 2020 season, says the KB998 he will race this year is already “a fantastic bike” after a solid pre-season.
While reticent to make predictions on results for the new project, he feels he comes into the Australian WSBK weekend at a good level with the bike despite the team not “focusing too much on outright performance” in the winter.
“The KB998 is a fantastic bike, I’ve enjoyed riding it in the winter,” he told WorldSBK.com.
“Honestly, we didn’t have fantastic weather over in Europe for the pre-season testing.
“I didn’t do many laps, but the Monday and Tuesday test at Phillip Island has gone well, it’s been enjoyable to ride.
“There’s some parts of the bike that are really strong, some parts of the bike that we’re still trying to figure out which is completely normal for such a new motorbike. It’s gone good so far.”
He added: “My pre-season has been very interesting for me to start this new project with Bimota.
“It’s about expectations: we have a new bike, we’re trying to compete against teams and bikes and riders that know their package very well.
“So, I think it’s been a really solid winter, I’ve been working hard on the feeling with the bike, working hard to understand how to take the maximum benefit from the new characteristics of the bike.
“And I would say it’s been really good. We haven’t been focusing too much on outright performance, but still in the test we’ve been in the mix.
“I think this is a really good starting point for the bike.”
