Navarra Test Gets BbKRT Back Up To Speed

Axel Bassani and Alex Lowes took part in a single-day test session at Navarra, on Thursday 27 August, in readiness for the season restart in France next week.

Lowes and Bassani, the team’s regular WorldSBK competitors on the bimota KB998 Rimini, were joined by test rider Xavi Forres, who concentrated on development duties.

The Navarra layout was once a WorldSBK host venue, and provides a wide variety of corners and challenges. It has undergone a series of improvements since it was last used by WorldSBK in 2021, including some layout changes.

A fall of rain around midday reduced the available track time, but both Lowes and Bassani had enough opportunity to get themselves firmly into track mode once more, as did the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team technical staff.

The entire BbKRT race effort will soon head to Magny-Cours in France for the ninth round of the year, between 4 - 6 September, which begins a run of four championship race weekends that will complete the current season.

Alex Lowes, stated: “It was good to get a few laps on the bike before we get to Magny-Cours for the next round. We had some drops of rain at midday, so we missed two hours of track time. But it was good to be back out with the guys in the team. We had a positive day. Improvements have been made at Navarra compared to the last time we were here, which is really good. It was nice to get back to work and I am excited for next week.”

Axel Bassani, stated: “We had a quite a good test and it has been great to jump onto the bike again after six weeks of not touching our WorldSBK bike. I was happy to get back to working with the team and everyone. The feeling with the bike was quite good, similar to the last time we used it. We did a lot of laps, not trying anything unusual, as this test was only to try and find the feeling we had the last time we were on track.”

Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Alex Lowes, stated: “The target of this test was to give some time to the riders after this long summer break, to let them get used to the bike again. It rained a little bit and we lost maybe an hour-and-a-half or two hours of track time. That was unlucky because this summer has been so hot, with no rain. Alex was happy to be on the bike and we made some laps. At the same time, I tried a couple of small things, and it was positive. We are ready to go to Magny-Cours next week.”

Uri Pallares, Crew Chief for Axel Bassani, stated: “We had a very positive test after a very long summer break. Axel did almost 80 laps, and straight away he felt comfortable on the bike and had a good feeling, like he showed in the last rounds before the summer. This test was good not just for him, but for all the crew, including myself, to get the feeling of being at the racetrack again, and remembering the procedures that we will put into effect at Magny-Cours next week. We will go there with a positive feeling and good expectations.”