With Magny-Cours in the rear-view mirror, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) can look back proudly on what he and his team have accomplished at this year’s iteration of the French Round at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Through rounds where they struggled to compete, to rounds such as these in which Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) earned a trio of podiums, this result has been a product of the team’s hard work.

LOWES MAINTAINING FORM: “I rode really well on the Kawasaki, and I feel like I’m still riding like that”

In contrast to the 2024 French round, this year’s trip to Magny-Cours featured three days of blue skies. The warmest of the three days, on Sunday, was perhaps hotter than Alex Lowes would have liked it, but as he has gotten accustomed to doing this season, he knuckled down and went to work. His KB998 Rimini platform is still undergoing development as it’s in its first year in WorldSBK competition, but he is proud of what he and his team accomplished this weekend.

“Not an easy race in hot conditions, but we’ve been working hard. Three podiums with the new project just prove how well the bike is working. The target is to be more competitive at all the circuits; this is obvious, and that will be worked on next year. It’s nice because, in 2024, I rode really well on the Kawasaki, and I feel like I’m still riding like that. So, doing weekends like that proves I’m still riding well. That’s nice for me, so I enjoyed it.”

RACE 2 PODIUM BATTLE: Lowes and Rea took off the gloves as both were thirsty to taste the prosecco

At lights out in Race 2, Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) shot up from P7 and stuck to Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and the #22 like their shadow as he looked to get back on the podium for the first time this season. When Petrucci dropped in pace slightly, the battle became a one-on-one between the former Kawasaki teammates. While they both wanted to stand on the podium, it's clear that the two hold a great respect for one another.

On their fight, Lowes said: “I wish I were fighting with him at the front of the race! I think Jonny is an unbelievable rider and person. I enjoyed it massively when we were teammates. I don’t think that bike really suits him, but either way, he passed me back into Turn five! His front was sliding from maybe 25 meters from the corner. If it were any other rider, I would have lifted the bike, but because I knew it was him, I just stayed there. I could see his front sliding, but then he hit the apex perfectly, and I had to try to pass him somewhere else.”

WINNING THE RIGHT WAY: “When you get results, it is nice, but the fact that you're performing so well, fighting closely with Bulega and unaffected by other riders, means you've done a good job”

Getting results like podiums is a nice affirmation that their team is moving the bike in a good direction, but what means more to Bimota Team Manager Guim Roda is the way that they got it done this weekend at Magny-Cours. This maiden season for their bike poses unique challenges, as he points out. While other teams generally work on the setup for that track, at Bimota, they need to work on both their base package and the setup for that circuit.

Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team Manager Guim Roda on his team’s progress said: “When you make podiums, you can’t be upset, especially in our position with our project starting from the beginning. We’re quite happy with the results and the performance. When you get results, it is nice, but the fact that you're performing so well, fighting closely with Bulega and unaffected by other riders, means you've done a good job. Every race for us is a new scenario; each round, we work on trying to understand the track's setup while learning about the bike itself. So, we’re working to collect information on the bike while Bimota and Kawasaki send us steps. We’re trying to polish everything to start next season at a higher level.”

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