Double Podium Sunday For BbKRT...

Alex Lowes completed the most successful race weekend of the season for the new bimota KB998 Rimini and the BbKRT squad, by taking two more podium finishes to add to his third place result on Saturday. Axel Bassani scored points in each Sunday race, securing eighth and 12th place race finishes.

A sunny Sunday at the 4.411km long Circuit de Nevers Magny Cours in France saw Alex Lowes stand on his third podium in succession at this challenging WorldSBK layout. After a fine fourth-place Superpole qualifying showing on Saturday, 6 September, Lowes was in a good position to fight right at the front of each race.

In the ten-lap Superpole Race on Sunday, 7 September, Lowes had a tough fight at times, but long-time race leader and eventual winner, Toprak Razgatlioglu, was unstoppable. With Nicolo Bulega second in the race, Alex would finish third, after an immaculate display of riding skill and control in the always intense ten-lap ‘sprint’.

Bassani was also in strong form after starting from his tenth-place grid position in the Superpole Race, crossing the finish line in seventh position. He had been adjudged to have exceeded the track limits on the final lap, however, which drew an immediate drop of one place to eighth in the final results.

Race Two saw Alex launching from third place on the grid, and he once again got into second place for a time. He had a real fight with Jonathan Rea and Danilo Petrucci before he was able to make a break and take a clear third place after all 21 laps. This was the fourth podium finish for the bimota KB998 Rimini WorldSBK machine, after the first was taken by Lowes at Misano in June.

Bassani started Race Two from eighth place on the grid but gradually dropped down the order to finish in 12th place, taking more championship points.

In the championship points, Alex sits seventh in the overall rankings, with 144 points. Bassani is in ninth place overall, with 99 points.

The next WorldSBK races will take place at the always popular Motorland Aragon in Spain, between 26-28 September.

Alex Lowes stated: “Here at Magny Cours we were straight back into a good rhythm. There has not been as big a difference as you might think between this weekend and some other weekends, but this is the first one where we have been able to put everything together. The bike felt good from the first practice sessions. Qualifying was also good, which helps a lot. I really felt like on this track there were parts of the layout where we had some good advantages. Which, when you are riding, is a nice feeling. At some layouts I don’t feel I can do anything to make a difference. I feel that although I am riding the best I can, we cannot be competitive. Here in Magny Cours, in some parts of the layout, we are genuinely fast and competitive. Race Two was not an easy final race in the hot conditions but we have been working hard and I enjoyed it. Three podiums for a new project just proves how well the bike is working. Now the target is to be more competitive at more circuits.”

Axel Bassani stated: “We started in a bad way this weekend but we recovered a little bit. The team did an incredible job, made a massive step, and in the end we arrived at our goals. Alex had three podiums so I am happy for them and it is also good for Bimota.”