The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field returned to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve for a pair of testing days, with British rider Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) topping the timesheets. The #22 and his teammate Axel Bassani impressed at the season-opening Australian Round and took to the track at Portimao to set a base after not participating in the rainy test back in January. On Day 1 at Portimao this time around, rain once again took centre stage, limiting afternoon running, but not before the #22 sent himself to P1 with a 1’40.622s time on the 25^th of his 33 laps.

PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF: “In Australia, we were quite strong and quite quick in the dry, and here we continued our work from the winter”

Lowes’s P1 was a testament to the progress the team has made with their KB998 Rimini. After a thunderous Australian Round in which the team netted three podiums, P1 at the first time back at Portimao since a largely rain-affected test back in January, is a welcome result for the Rimini-based manufacturer. Lowes will hope the data collected on Day 1 sets he and his team up well for success in Algarve, particularly after a rough time out last year in Portugal with DNFs in both full-length races and a P13 in the Tissot Superpole Race.

On the feeling he had with his KB998 Rimini, Alex Lowes said: “I felt good today on the bike! Obviously, it’s nice to get back to Europe after Australia. In Australia, we were quite strong and quite quick in the dry, and here we continued our work in the winter. The feeling on the bike is positive; we gathered some good confidence here today.”

GETTING A RAINCHECK: “We had just started to try some things on the bike and then it started raining”

This test at the rollercoaster round is an important opportunity for Lowes as neither he nor Bassani partook in the pair of test days here back in January; instead, test rider Xavi Fores took part in wet conditions. Their decision to abstain from that test proved wise, as strong winds and heavy rain limited the number of laps riders could register. While he didn’t return to the track after rain began to fall on Day 1, he and the team had followed their winter testing regimen. When it came time to try new elements on the bike, however, the weather had other ideas.

On his Day 1 takeaways, Lowes said: “The conditions were unfortunate, we had just started to try some things on the bike, and then it started raining. So we only did 30 laps and didn’t get a chance to really test things. I’m really happy to be back on the bike, though; we hadn’t ridden here in a year, since the race last year, so it’s been nice to see the evolution of our KB998 Rimini. Hopefully, the weather tomorrow is good, because we have plenty of things to try tomorrow to get prepared for the race weekend.”

Don’t miss a moment of Alex Lowes fighting for the win in the upcoming races, March 27^th-29^th at Portimao, with the WorldSBK VideoPass!