Alex Lowes believes the Bimota is already at the 'same level' as the Kawasaki
Yesterday at 01:36 AM
"I feel that we're starting immediately from at least the same level we finished on the Kawasaki."
The Bimota name will return to World Superbike's this season with the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team. The Italian manufacturer's new KB998 has been through significant testing ahead of its debut season on the world stage.
After its most recent test at Portimao the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team rider, Alex Lowes, discussed what he thought of the bike after finishing pre-season testing in Europe.
"It was good. We had just half a day because the weather was bad in the morning," Lowes told WorldSBK.com.
"We have a long list of things to try, but no time really! We picked three main priorities. We had two different specs of forks from Showa, also something on the chassis at the back of the bike. It was good. I used the SC0 tyre all day so, at the end of the day, I dropped down but for most of the day, I was in the top three or four positions for race pace.
"This is quite good considering it's testing and we're trying to find the balance. Didn't really work on anything specific settings to improve my feeling at Portimao because we still have too many things to do on the list. I'd say it was a positive day. It was my first time on the Bimota here at Portimao. All the positives I found on the bike at Jerez, I feel the same here.
"Normally, when I put soft tyres on, I'm able to go fast. Superpole and the Superpole Race are normally one of my strongest points, so we sacrificed that to try and improve our bike because it's so new and we have so many things to try."
Lowes went on to compare the new KB998 to his old Kawasaki ZX-10RR that he rode from 2020 to 2024. The British rider has revealed that he is 'impressed' with how the new bike performs compared to the Kawasaki.
"I spent quite a few years on the Kawasaki, and I feel that we're starting immediately from at least the same level we finished on the Kawasaki, which is impressive, to be straight out the box like that," Lowes stated.
"I've been trying to work hard on the test items to make sure I choose the right one. I'm quite optimistic we can have a good season."
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