There is rarely time to pause for breath in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. As the paddock arrives at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” and the second half of the 2026 season begins, teams are already keeping one eye on next year and the opportunities it will bring.
RIDER CHOICE IS CRUCIAL
Those opportunities are always centred around the rider. You can’t win in WorldSBK without the right man on the bike. Over the years, Provec Racing have learned this lesson time and again. First, it was Tom Sykes that delivered the World Championship to the Catalan squad during their Kawasaki era and then it was Jonathan Rea’s run of six titles aboard the fearsome ZX10RR.
NEW ERA, SAME MINDSET
When a team and manufacturer make winning a routine, riders can be taken for granted. The mentality shifts quickly to “anyone can win with us.” As the team switched from being Kawasaki's factory entry to leading bimota's return to WorldSBK, there was plenty of change in the workshop. The mindset, however, never changed. They know that having the right rider on their bike makes the biggest difference.
A KEY OFF-SEASON APPROACHES
As WorldSBK approaches one of the most significant off-seasons in recent memory, stability will become a valuable commodity. With Michelin arriving as the Championship's new tyre supplier and teams preparing for a potentially reshaped competitive order, bimota's decision to retain Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) will be about more than continuity. It will be a vote of confidence in a rider whose experience, work ethic and development skills will be vital as the manufacturer enters the next phase of its return to the world stage.
LOWES’ EXPERIENCE PAYS OFF
Lowes has been the team leader for bimota since the project began two years ago. At 35 years old and approaching 400 WorldSBK starts, Lowes knows he is closer to the end of his World Superbike career than the beginning. His hunger, however, remains unchanged. The Czech Round in May was a perfect example of why bimota value him so highly. After three crashes in practice and Superpole, he battled back to finish 7-9-7 that weekend. It was a weekend where Lowes showed the experience and guile that you need to deliver as a factory rider. Part of a rider’s experience is knowing that sometimes a weekend can be working against you. Finding a way to work with the team and your engineers to improve the bike day to day is the key. Lowes has a great relationship with his crew chief, Pere Riba, and it’s based around the knowledge that both will work at all times to find the small steps that are needed.
THE WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH RIBA
It would be easy to forgive Riba for having unrealistic expectations after all his success with Rea. The engineer has always said that his only requirement from his rider is to work as hard as possible and be open to new ideas. Those standards mirror the ones Lowes has always set for himself. Their relationship has allowed the rider to unlock more of his potential than ever and the switch to bimota machinery also gave Lowes the chance to lead a project from the early stages and develop the bike.
THE 2027 CHALLENGE
Each year, the winter testing mileage charts place Lowes near the top of the standings, and when the ink dries on his new contract he will know exactly what lies ahead. Michelin tyres, a changing Championship and the responsibility of leading bimota into their next chapter. For a rider who has built his reputation on hard work and persistence, it is exactly the challenge he wants.
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