'We need to look at what the bike needs' - Lowes completes a positive first test with the KB998

Today at 04:51 AM

Alex Lowes was out on track with the KB998 at Jerez this week as he began testing the new machine.

After five years on the Kawasaki ZX-10RR, Alex Lowes made his switch to the KB998. The previously named Kawasaki Racing Team has become the new Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team for the 2025 season.

Lowes got his first taste of the new KB998 at a two-day test at Circuito de Jerez on Tuesday and Wednesday. At the end of the test, Bimota finished first and second with Lowes in second place. After the test, Lowes spoke highly of the new bike and the new challenge ahead of him.

"It was good to start this new challenge," Lowes told WorldSBK.com. "Obviously, we are starting to explore the bike, we need to understand how the changes feel and what I need from the bike. There are lots of things to do and lots of work to do, but it was nice to get started. I enjoyed riding the bike, the feeling was nice from the first laps this morning."

'It is great to be able to use my experience to understand the bike.' - Alex Lowes

Lowes' first outing on the new machine came straight after the 2024 World Superbike finale. The British rider ended the 2024 season in fourth in the standings and with a podium at the Spanish circuit. Lowes' recent experience at the Circuito de Jerez helped him on the new bike as he was already 'up to speed'.

"It is going good. It is only the start point that we have here," Lowes said. "We know the track well from the race weekend so you are already up to speed. It is really important to test the bike now. Over the winter it is not only important to look at setup changes but it is important for me to understand the bike.

"We need to look at what the bike needs, the changes on the bike and how the bike reacts to changes. This is gathering information that puts us in a good position for next year. We started to try some things in the afternoon, it is so interesting to me because it is different from the past. It is great to be able to use my experience to understand the bike."

After riding the ZX-10RR for five years Lowes was able to compare the KB998 to his previous machine. However, the 34-year-old thought that his brand new bike was 'surprising' after finally being able to try it on track.

"It is surprising," Lowes stated. "I think the bike needs to be ridden in a different way. I rode the Kawasaki for five years and I felt I could take everything from the bike. With this bike, I think you need to ride a bit smoother and I need to change my riding style to get everything out of the bike. I need to understand it a bit more because at the moment I feel like I am not really using the bike. I think I will understand it a bit more after the next test."

'The way the bike turns and handles feels nice, it is smooth and turns well'

The new KB998 features a split chassis, something that Lowes believes feels good on the bike. The new Bimota chassis makes the bike feel smooth and has improved the way the bike turns and handles.

"It feels good. The way the bike turns and handles feels nice, it is smooth and turns well," Lowes explained. "On top of that the rider feeling and the effort you put in goes with the feeling on the bike and the setup of the bike. It is positive so far."

The Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team will head to MotorLand Aragon next week for a second test. Looking ahead to his second out on his new machinery Lowes already has an idea of what he wants to try.

Lowes said: "We started to change a few things on the bike to gather information and to see how the bike reacts. We need to keep doing that next week because the more I understand the bike, the more I understand how to ride the bike. The grip was good today and the temperatures were quite low and sometimes this can help the problems. So, I need to be ready for when the grip drops and how to ride the bike over race distance because that is what will get us results next year."

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