Slightly damp track conditions off the racing line after overnight rains ensured that the start of the ten-lap Tissot Superpole Race would be stressful for all. Lowes was nonetheless in the vanguard from the first lap to the last, chasing early leader Niccolo Bulega, who would go on to win the race.
Alex once again started from pole position after leading home all the other riders in the timesheets during Superpole qualifying on Saturday.
At the 4.411km long ‘Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours’ Lowes was only 0.115 seconds from the race victory, after trying to pass Bulega two laps from the end. He lost only just enough ground to prevent him from making a final challenge into the often infamous final chicane.
Alex was nonetheless happy to record another strong podium result, which took his personal score of podiums this season to ten.
Bassani was unable to get through to the front of the Superpole Race after starting from seventh place and he would eventually finish tenth.
The second race featured almost instantaneous drama for both Alex and Axel. Lowes was in the leading group on Lap One when he ran wide, looking down at the left side of his machine before getting back on track in 19th position.
He would fight his way through almost the entire pack and use all his years of experience to finish in a fourth position at the flag that seemed an impossibility after lap one.
Axel made a great start to the final race at Magny-Cours and was running inside the podium places on lap five, leading all but eventual winner Bulega and second placed Danilo Petrucci. He was then passed by Michael van der Mark on lap eight.
He was only dropped from the top five battle when he had to take a long lap penalty, losing many places in what was an ever-changing 21-lap race. Axel would finish 11th in the second race of the day, the same position he rejoined the track after making his long lap.
In the championship points Alex remains fourth overall but he closed the gap to the third place rider to just eight points. Axel is 15th overall, tied on 69 points with one other rider.
The next round for Alex and Axel will be at an all-new circuit for WorldSBK, in Cremona, Italy, between 20-22 September.
Alex Lowes, stated: “It was a little damp off line but I wanted to have a go at passing Nicolo in the last couple of laps. The strength of my bike in the chicanes, and how the Kawasaki is turning so well, I cannot exploit that sometimes when I am right behind another rider. But I am happy with a podium finish. Maybe my bike was better than Nicolo’s in the last couple of laps, so maybe I could have had a chance to win the race - but I can’t be disappointed. The team are doing a great job and we were back on the podium. In Race Two I had a good start but in T6/T7 I suddenly felt a problem that seemed big enough to maybe be the end of my race. I pulled in the clutch and moved off line, then did all the resets we can do on the bike nowadays. I kept going after I had checked the bike was OK. I am happy that it didn’t end the race because it was good one for us, although I had to pass a lot of riders. Some guys were out injured today but from the very first round in Phillip Island the confidence I have in the front of the Kawasaki, and being able to make passes, is one of the points I enjoy most.”
Axel Bassani, stated: “The Superpole Race was difficult and we fought with the other riders who had made an SCQ tyre choice. We finished in tenth position. I think it was one of my best Superpole races since Misano. In Race Two we started really well and in P3 for the first time we started to ‘smell’ some clean air in front. It was really nice to come back to racing near the lead. But, we had to take a long lap penalty. After that I started to feel a little drop in grip from the rear and I started to move and slide a lot. It took some time but we raced at the front and we have to come back to doing that.”
Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) placed 17th in the Superpole Race and 14th in Race Two, scoring two points overall. He is 20th in the championship standings after two-thirds of the season has been completed.
2024 KRT Rider WorldSBK Statistics
Alex Lowes:
2024: Races: 24, Wins 2, Podiums 10, Superpoles 1
Career Race Wins: 4 (3 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 44 (24 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 2 (1 for Kawasaki)
Axel Bassani:
2024: Races: 24, Wins 0, Podiums 0, Superpoles 0
Career Race Wins: 0 (0 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 6 (0 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 0 (0 for Kawasaki)
8 x Riders’ Championships (Scott Russell 1993, Tom Sykes 2013, Jonathan Rea 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020), 1 x EVO Riders’ Championship (David Salom 2014)
6 x Manufacturers’ Championships (Ninja ZX-10R 2015 & 2016, Ninja ZX-10RR 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020)
5 x Teams’ Championships (KRT/Provec Racing 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019)
Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
Total Kawasaki Race Wins: 180 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Podiums: 552 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 109 – second overall
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