BbKRT Heading To Balaton For The Second Time

The FIM Superbike World Championship and the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team (BbKRT) will be racing at the Balaton Park Circuit for the second time after last year’s debut WorldSBK weekend. The fourth round of the 2026 series will be held at the Hungarian circuit between 1-3 May.

BbKRT riders Axel Bassani and Alex Lowes are now making their final preparations to take on the unique 4.075km-long Balaton Park venue, a fully modern facility located close to one of Hungary’s most popular holiday regions, Lake Balaton.

The 2026 season is the second one for both Lowes and Bassani aboard the bimota KB998 Rimini, and it started with podium finishes for both riders at the opening round. As it stands in the championship, Lowes is fourth with 69 points and Bassani is sixth, on 67 points. bimota is second in the Manufacturers Standings and BbKRT is second in the Teams Standings.

After the first three rounds have been concluded at different circuits with their own distinct characters, Balaton Park continues that trend, with fully 17 corners or curves along its generally flat and relatively short 4.075km layout. One early complex of tight corners, a T11 hairpin and three distinct chicanes in all give this track a very start/stop nature. This kind of layout demands not just good braking and corner entry characteristics, but also a strong punch out of the slower corners.

After racing their KB998 Rimini machines last year, each BbKRT rider left the inaugural Balaton Park weekend with the highest individual race finish of sixth place - Lowes scoring this result in both Race One and Race Two, and Bassani claiming sixth in the Superpole Race.

On Friday, 1 May, the WorldSBK riders will take part in two Free Practice sessions. Saturday features a short FP3 session, Superpole Qualifying, and then a 21-lap Race One. Sunday, 3 May, hosts two WorldSBK races. Firstly, the ten-lap Superpole Race and then a second and final 21-lap Race Two.

Alex Lowes stated: “Balaton was new on the calendar last year, so this time we know a little bit more about it before we arrive there. Last year was not too bad, but I think we can do a better job of it this time. I am looking forward to getting there on Friday and working hard. The focus at Balaton is very much on stopping and then accelerating the bike, so that is a little bit different to what we have had at the previous two tracks at Portimao and Assen. I am looking forward to the challenge of extracting everything we can out of the weekend. We had a good crowd at Balaton last year, so with it being a newer track on the calendar, I hope there will be quite a few people there again, and that we can have some decent weather and good racing.”

Axel Bassani stated: “We will work to be ready for everything at Balaton. I was sick during the last round in Assen, and I am not 100% right now, but we will be OK for the weekend. I think for us Balaton could be quite a difficult track, looking back on what we did last year. There are a lot of stops and starts, which is not the best. But, never say never, as every weekend of racing is different and we have one more year of experience with our bike. We will see if it will be different, and whatever happens, we will do our best and try to take home the maximum points we can.”