'It will be a dream to win a race on the Bimota' - Lowes discusses his 2025 World Superbike aims
11/05/2024 11:15 AM
Alex Lowes discusses the launch of the Bimota KB998 at EICMA.
The new KB998 was unveiled at EICMA in Milan and the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team were present for the launch.
British rider, Alex Lowes, will pilot one of the KB998's in World Superbikes in 2025. At EICMA Lowes spoke to WorldSBK.com about the unveiling of the new Bimota street bike.
"It is nice to be here," Lowes said. "It is always nice to come to the show in EICMA, it is always really busy and there is always new stuff. But for me this year it is new colours, a new bike and a new challenge. It has been great to see the response to the unveiling of the street bike, I think it looks great and the colours look great. I am already getting excited for next year."
Lowes was asked about his first taste of the KB998 at the Jerez test in October. The 34-year-old discussed how the bike understandably feels different to the Kawasaki that he has ridden since the 2020 season. After five years in green, he believes his new machine will take a while to get used to.
"Jerez was the first test for us so we have a lot of work to do and we need to explore the bike," Lowes explained. "I need to understand the bike more, the characteristics are a bit different and the feeling is a bit different. I spent quite a few years on the Kawasaki so adjusting is going to take a bit of time. In the one day that we had I felt good, we know we need to work on understanding the bike, understanding how to get the most from the bike and the settings for the bike."
'It was a very interesting first day and I just want to get back on the bike.'
Lowes went on to explain how his new bike differs to his Kawasaki ZX-10RR. He explained that the new aerodynamics on the KB998 have made cornering feel more 'gentle and easier' compared to the Kawasaki.
"The characteristics of the bike are quite a bit different, more so than I expected," Lowes revealed. "We have a different chassis and the aerodynamics have been heavily modified. The bike on the track feels different it is a bit more gentle and easier to turn. I am sure as I explore the bike more there will be positives and negatives, but it was a very interesting first day and I just want to get back on the bike. I can't say too much yet because we are at the start of the project but it is going to be interesting."
Finally, Lowes looked back on his final year in green after he finished fourth in the World Championship. But the British rider already has high hopes for the 2025 season as he targets race wins.
"My final year on the green Kawasaki was a positive one," said Lowes. "I enjoyed it and I was competitive most weekends. There were a couple of races in Aragon and Barcelona where I was not fantastic. In the rest of the races, we picked up at least a podium, whether it was in the main races or the Superpole Race. It gives me good confidence going into next year, I hope we start how we finished this year. It will be a dream to win a race on the Bimota. To win on a new manufacturer would be fantastic and that is the target. But, we have a lot of work to do before we arrive at that point."
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