Italian rider Ayrton Badovini and Brit Christian Iddon were the last riders before the 2025 campaign to have ridden a Bimota bike in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship back in the 2014 season. The Rimini-based manufacturer had to reminisce even farther back for their last rostrum memories, all the way back to Phillip Island in 2000, when Anthony Gobert topped the podium on a Bimota SB8R. 2025 saw the return of the manufacturer’s WorldSBK aspirations, not just returning to the grid, but landing four podiums on the season for the first time since 1989.

SHOOTING FOR THE TOP STEP: Lowes looks to keep fighting for the podium

Alex Lowes was the more successful of the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team pair in 2025, landing each of the team’s four podiums, propelling him to sixth place in the Riders’ Championship. His 13 seasons of WorldSBK experience surely played a large role in that achievement, and with his KB998 Rimini bike now with a year of improvements under its belt, he and his team are looking to continue stacking up the rostrum results, and potentially even land that elusive first win since 2000. If the team can address some of their bike’s top speed issues, Lowes may even be a dark horse candidate in the Championship fight.

A NEW FACE IN BASSANI’S BOX: Pallares will look to guide the Italian to an improved 2026

Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) didn’t show quite the same comfort in his first season with the KB998 Rimini as did Lowes; however, the Italian did show rounds of his tremendous upside throughout the campaign. At Assen, he kicked off the weekend strong with a P4 in the Tissot Superpole session, and while his fight for P6 was soiled in Race 1 after an unfortunate crash on the last lap, he landed what ended up being his season-best result of P5 in Race 2. Later in the season, Bassani flexed his ability to work from the back as he climbed up from a P23 start in Race 1 at Aragon to finish P8. Longtime member of Jonathan Rea's garage, Uri Pallares, has moved to the #47’s box to take on a new role as the Italian’s crew chief. His experience and the natural talent of the 26-year-old may prove to be a formidable combination to keep an eye on this season. Marcel Duinker, the team’s long-term crew chief including to ‘El Bocia’ in 2024 and 2025, has moved into a track engineer role across both Bimota and Kawasaki.

GETTING AN UPGRADE: The 2026 KB998 Rimini’s new features

The bike proved to be a more than capable package from its 2025 successes, seeming even perhaps ahead of schedule in its development given the measured projections given from the team at the outset of that season. In 2026 it will return with the incorporation of a season’s worth of data, featuring adjustments to the balance, chassis, aerodynamics, and suspension in collaboration with their Showa parts.

Look out for Bimota’s resurgent rider pair this season live and OnDemand with the WorldSBK VideoPass!