In a test primarily focused on finding greater and more consistent overall race performance from the new bimota KB998 Rimini machine, Axel finished third quickest overall at his home circuit, with Alex 12th.
On the final day track conditions were good enough at the 4.226km circuit for strong lap times to be set, particularly on qualifying tyres. The leading two riders improved on track best pace over one lap, with Axel the first rider behind them in the final combined rankings.
Axel had been second fastest on the first day and set a personal best of 1’32.798 on the second. Overall, he completed 157 laps around what is both his and bimota’s home circuit.
Lowes initially concentrated on machine improvements and test items and then set a best lap of 1’33.265, after setting a grand total of 189 laps across the two days.
Each of the BbKRT riders also focused on finding a literal race set-up on their KB998 Rimini machines for the next round of the championship. The Misano circuit will host the forthcoming round of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship, between 13-15 June.
Alex Lowes, stated: “We tried a lot of things on the bike and did about 110 laps on day two. So we have been working hard. We tried some things that were good, some things that were not so good and we also tried a qualifying tyre during my best lap. That was a 1’33.2, which was not too bad. We have not quite got the feeling we need so I have to put everything together now for race weekend. It is difficult sometimes to get the rhythm, so we need to analyse the data and make a step forward for race weekend. I feel like in certain parts of the track I need a couple of tenths but in other parts I am quite strong and consistent. The guys have worked really hard and I have enjoyed riding here at Misano.”
Axel Bassani, stated: “It has been a good two days of testing. We tried some items to understand which way we should take for race weekend. It was also good because it was hot during the test and I think it will be really hot during race weekend. Usually, it is more difficult for us when the temperature is high. The race pace was not so bad in the final afternoon and we also tried to focus on the one lap time attack, which is usually my problem. The feeling was not bad. We are not really, really fast but at the same time we are not slow. So, I think we will start from a positive point to have a good race weekend at Misano.”
Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Alex Lowes, stated: “We had two intensive days of testing with a bike which is still under development. We had a lot of items to test. On day one we focused on the chassis, as during a race weekend you cannot test these kinds of things. We spent nearly a day with these new things. On the second day we focused a little bit more to prepare a starting point for the race weekend at Misano. But even then we had to test different items. In the end we worked a little bit with the race tyres and we also put in a Q to understand it a little bit. Alex set a lot of laps and it was a huge effort. We have a starting point for the race weekend. The final day was quite hot, with nearly 50°C on the track surface. This is also positive to understand some directions. We are a little bit tired because there was a lot of work. Everybody worked incredibly hard. We had two bikes so we never stopped trying different things. We are now ready to start the race weekend in Misano.”
Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Axel Bassani, stated: “I think this was the correct time to have a test, after the first five race weekends. It was nice to make a test and especially because in two weeks or so we will race here at Misano. After the first rounds of the season we clearly understood in which areas we needed to work and where we needed to improve, so that is what we did. bimota made a very good job in supplying us with the necessary material to improve our performance. Over these two days we focused a little on improving our bike set-up; purely improving our base machine. On the second day Axel made a long run and showed really good speed. Also, over a single lap, he was third fastest. The only thing I can say is thank you to bimota and Kawasaki for giving us the necessary material to improve and well done to the team - especially Axel because he put a lot of effort in during these two days. He showed what he is capable of and I can only wait for more. We have not seen the best of him yet, I am sure.”