Newsletter

The official race report service of Kawasaki Racing Team.

20 Januar 2025

First 2025 Test Approaches For bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team

The first WorldSBK test of the 2025 calendar year take will take place at the Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto Jerez between 22 and 23 January. This is not the first post 2024 season winter test for bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team (BbKRT) but it marks a fresh milestone in the combined preparations for an exciting new season. 

The new bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team has already tested the cutting-edge WorldSBK version of the KB998 Rimini machine, most recently in November at Jerez, before the arrival of the traditional winter break.

Technical development and preparations have continued apace during the winter months to ensure that the riding partnership of Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani will be able to start the season itself in the best possible condition.

With the season getting underway again at its now traditional first round venue of Phillip Island in Australia, between 21-23 February, time is of the essence. This is particularly relevant for the official BbKRT entry, given that they will be running a new homologation of machine for Bimota’s much-anticipated return to the white heat of WorldSBK competition.

To help the final development stages in all technical aspects of the new project the team has introduced two new test riders for 2025. Xavi Fores is a highly experienced rider in several classes and a podium capable WorldSBK rider in past seasons. He scored important points in the final round of the 2020 WorldSBK season that ensured Kawasaki would secure the prestigious Manufacturers’ Championship trophy. Xavi Artigas is a former Moto2 and Moto3 rider who is now competing in the CIV Supersport championship for Kawasaki. Artigas and Fores will test the official KB998 at Jerez on 21 January, before Lowes and Bassani make their own two day tests on 22 and 23 January. Florian Marino will also ride on 21 January, in what will be his last test session for the team before he becomes a regular EWC rider.

After the imminent Jerez test there will be another one week later, at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal, between 28-29 January. After that final European pre-season track session the BbKRT 2025 season launch event will take place in Italy on 6 February.

Alex Lowes, stated: “I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike after what is, in reality, quite a short winter break nowadays. We do not have much time off in WorldSBK, what with testing going into late November and then starting again at the end of January. It has been good not so switch off too much - and I have enjoyed some time with my family. I have been working really hard on myself during the winter. Last season was a good one but I know that I need to improve a lot if I want to make a step forward. I have tried to analyse last season to see where I can improve and what I can do better this year. That’s from my side. From the bike side I am excited to see the evolution that the guys from bimota have brought. I know Pere and all the guys in my side of the team have been working hard to use the vital information we gathered at the end of last year. We are getting closer to race time, and there will be more of our rivals on track at this test. We may get a bit more of an understanding of where we stack up. I cannot wait to get to work.”

Axel Bassani, stated: “Now we will start to work on the track again. I think we can start from the same point that we finished last year, in November, with a fast pace and some fast laps. For sure we need to improve but this will be the first test of the new year so we have to restart well and try to understand what we have improved in the winter. I think almost all the WorldSBK riders will be at this test, so that will be good for us. In the previous tests we were fast - first and second in the times - but some riders were not there. We will see everyone on the same track at the same moment soon. We will try to understand what point we are at and where we can improve.”

Guim Roda, BbKRT Team Manager, stated: “Here we are on the eve of the first track session of 2025. Everybody involved is very excited to start again. Is nice to stay home and recharge the batteries, of course, but people in racing need action, so all of them have a big motivation to get back to the racetracks. The riders have been working hard in preparing themselves. All of those inside the team are making preparations to the KB998 Rimini machinery to be ready to go testing in Jerez. We are still preparing many items and it is a very tough job to have everything ready for Australia. We know that all our suppliers are working at 110% and we are all very committed to have the items ready, as far as possible. I am very curious to see the potential of the KB998 Rimini at this next test, especially with more bikes on track as they start to warm up their engines for the first round at Phillip Island.”