Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) put Bimota back on a MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rostrum for the first time in a quarter of a century after he claimed second place in the Tissot Superpole Race at the manufacturer’s home Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round. Lowes was a beneficiary of a Turn 1, Lap 1 crash involving his teammate as he moved into second place before putting Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) under initial pressure before being forced to settle for second.

The #22 was fifth in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session, with teammate Axel Bassani just ahead in third, although the #47 benefitted from a penalty for Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) which dropped him to fourth. In Race 1, Lowes was close to a rostrum as he fought with home hero Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), although ‘Petrux’ was able to hold on to a rostrum by just over a tenth of a second.

In the Superpole Race, Lowes moved into second place when Bassani wiped out Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) at Turn 1 on the opening lap after getting a mega start. Lowes was able to put Bulega under some initial pressure but ‘El Turco’ was able to pull away from his rival as he secured the second of his three Misano wins. However, following ‘El Turco’ allowed Lowes to build up a gap to Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) in third as he claimed P2.

It was his first podium of the year and Bimota’s since their return to the Championship at the start of 2025. It was also put the Italian brand on their home podium, with Bimtoa HQ just a 20 minute drive from Misano, while the brand were able to celebrate their first WorldSBK podium since 2000. On that occasion, the late Anthony Gobert claimed a stunning victory at Phillip Island.

Discussing his podium, Lowes said: “I’m really happy. The whole team deserve it. It’s a new project and it’s not been the easiest start to the year. It’s almost like a dream to have the first podium of the year at Bimota’s home race here at Misano. It’s so close to the factory. The race went well. It was unfortunate for Axel and Bulega, but I had good track position. I had a good rhythm behind Toprak and our bike this weekend seems to be working really well. If we could use the lines we want, we could be really fast and competitive in all conditions. I enjoyed it. I’m happy to get that first podium and hopefully we’ll keep getting more. I’m going to enjoy this one because it means a lot to all of us!”

Follow all the action from WorldSBK throughout 2025 using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 30% off!