BbKRT Riders Competitive On Day One

The second round of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship got underway in almost perfect conditions at Portimao on 27 March, with bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team (BbKRT) riders Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani finishing up fourth and seventh fastest, respectively.

A recent special test at Portimao provided valuable data and encouraging developments for the entire BbKRT team to take into the race weekend at the heavily undulating 4.592km Portuguese circuit.

Lowes set his best Friday time in FP1, as he concentrated more on a long run in FP2, to help find an ideal race set-up on his bimota KB998 Rimini machine before points become available in Race One on Saturday.

Given the almost ideal track conditions, Bassani also tried some new things on his set-up in FP1, as well as working towards an overall race set-up in the second track session at Portimao.

Saturday’s action begins with a third and final free practice session, then Tissot Superpole Qualifying to determine the grid positions for the opening race. The first 20-lap WorldSBK race of the weekend will get underway at 15.30 local time in Portugal. Sunday 27 March will feature a ten-lap Tissot Superpole Race and then Race Two, over the same 20-lap duration as Race One.

Alex Lowes stated: “We did a long run in the afternoon session, and lap 14 was only about two-tenths of a second of my best time from the morning. I managed to keep, more or less, inside the 1’40s for the whole race simulation. That was our target for this afternoon. We still have some work to do on the feeling with the front, as I felt a little bit of a drop in the front tyre. The race is the most important thing, but I am pleased with the way things are going. Axel is doing a great job. We are both riding well, the team is working well, and we are getting a lot from the bike.”

Axel Bassani stated: “We had some really nice weather in Portimao and the track was pretty good. This morning, we tried something different than we had during the recent Portimao test, and the feeling was not bad. In the afternoon, we continued in that way. In the end the feeling, taking everything into consideration, was not so bad. We have to improve and understand some areas, but I am quite happy. We will see how things are for tomorrow. Our pace is not bad, we are there, and a lot of riders have the same pace. We will try to be ready for the first race on Saturday as much as possible.”