The new bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team project returned to Jerez for on-track testing for the third time since the WorldSBK-spec KB998 Rimini machine first appeared. At this particular test the team, in general, was looking to get closer to a final base set-up for the new four-cylinder machine before the WorldSBK season starts for real in one month’s time.

Alex and his crew mostly worked on his new ergonomic package in dry conditions while Axel’s side of the BbKRT garage concentrated on improving the bike set-up in first dry and then wet track conditions. High winds were present over both days of testing at Jerez, which had a great effect on the riders themselves and team decisions on the best use of track time.

Day One went well in terms of providing dry weather conditions, despite a few damp patches lingering for a while after overnight rain. Day two proved to be wet all the way through, which meant that Lowes did not take to the track.

Bassani set some laps in the wet conditions, as did test rider Xavi Fores. Xavi Artigas, Florian Marino and Fores had been on track even before the official riders started out on 22 January, sharing track time on 21 January with several WorldSSP riders.

Another test at Portimao is scheduled for 28-29 January and then there will be the official team launch in Italy on 6 February. There will be one final chance - on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 February - for the BbKRT riders to test the bike in readiness for the first races of the year at Phillip Island, Australia.

The first round of the season itself will be held at that same Phillip Island circuit, between 21-23 February.

Alex Lowes, stated: “It’s been nice to get back on the bike. I felt better than I expected straight away, even if there were some damp patches still around. I felt quite good on the bike. After two pitlane exits we started to go into test mode,  as we had some new parts for the fuel tank and riding position. It took a few pitlane exits to feel comfortable with these. I did get comfortable so we have confirmed the new, tank, seat and riding position. We made two or three good steps. We had some things to do off the bike here too, with new parts arriving, etc. With the windy conditions we decided just to use four hours of testing on day one. Every time we work with the new bike it is important. The runs we did were quite consistent. There is still loads of things to do and but I think it was a good day of testing at Jerez.”

Axel Bassani, stated: “We have had two good days of testing, even if we did only a half day on track each time. We did not do a lot of laps but we took a lot of data, and this is important. It was especially important as day two was the first time I had ridden in wet conditions on the bimota. The first day in the dry was good, although it was difficult because there was a lot of wind. The base of the bike was not bad and the lap time was not so fast, but also not slow. For us, every day is important so that we can understand what we need to do and what we have to improve. On the rear, I do not have the feeling I want yet, so we are working to find improvements in that area. The team now has some data to work with for the next test in Portimao.”

Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Alex Lowes, stated: “The plan was to do one complete day of testing in dry conditions because we are taking care to follow the rules about how many testing days you can have. On day one with Alex we made a half a day on track because it was really, really windy. With the items we wanted to test we had to be clear and take a good understanding of the decisions and directions we should take. We worked with Alex in many small areas and it was very good. We didn’t have to use any soft tyres, we just focused on the work and the plan we wanted. One day before Alex started we used our new test riders Xavi Fores and Xavi Artigas. Florian Marino did a great job during all the development of this new bike, so I want to say thank you to him. It was raining on the final day of this Jerez test so we decided not to do any laps with Alex, but we did some laps with Fores to collect some information. All his comments were very clear. This has been a quite positive test, even if the weather has not been so good, and now we are looking forward to going to Portimao.”

Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Axel Bassani, stated: “Our experience with the new bike and Axel is still quite new. This was only the third day with Axel on the new bike. First of all, I must give a lot of credit to Bimota, Kawasaki and the team for all the progress they have made from the previous test at the end of November. All the material we requested was ready for us to test here. We had quite an efficient four hours of testing on day one and today was our first time with the bike in the wet. We gathered very valuable information. The conditions in November at Jerez and the conditions we had at this test were very different. We moved from high grip to lower grip conditions, so of course the bike was behaving differently. This is not a negative; we just learned a lot that we will bring to the next test. The weather was a bit inconsistent but we gathered very valuable information. I am looking forward to Portimao - and in three weeks we will already be on the other side of the planet. Things are moving!”