2025 STARTS NOW: Bimota ready for WorldSBK return as Gerloff prepares for Kawasaki debut at Jerez test
Last season may have finished just a day ago, but all eyes are on 2025 already as Jerez hosts a two-day test
Preparations for the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship are already underway with the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto hosting a two-day test just days after the 2024 season concluded. There will be eight hours of track time each day, from 10:00-18:00 Local Time (UTC+2) as the world gets the first look at the new Bimota KB998 machine as the Italian brand make their return to the World Championship, while it’s also the first time Garrett Gerloff will be spotted on Kawasaki machinery.
BIMOTA ARE BACK: Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani on the KB998
The Kawasaki-powered Bimota KB998 makes its public debut at Jerez, with Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani staying with the team that’s morphed into the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team squad, with the Provec Racing-run team opting for continuity with their rider line-up as the new project begins. Jerez will give the first public indications of the new project, and the first look at Lowes and Bassani in their team gear after racing in the famous Kawasaki Green in 2024.
GERLOFF'S KAWASAKI DEBUT: the American on the ZX-10RR
Garrett Gerloff is set for his third manufacturer in WorldSBK as he links up with Kawasaki Puccetti Racing on the ZX-10RR. Kawasaki keep a manufacturer presence in WorldSBK next year with the Puccetti Kawasaki squad running the Japanese brand’s machines, which Gerloff will compete on. It’ll be his third brand in WorldSBK after Yamaha and BMW.
VICKERS’ DUCATI DEBUT: Brit set for first taste of the V4 R
Ryan Vickers is moving across to WorldSBK full-time for 2025 and he’ll get a taste of the Team Motocorsa Racing outfit at the Jerez test. Vickers is a race winner in the British championship, and he links up with a team that will run the Panigale V4 R and fought for podiums not that long ago.
STAYING THE SAME: important test even without changes
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will be in action at Jerez, with Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Bautista aiming to start 2025 preparations on a high note. Bulega comes into the test after beating Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) on pure pace twice at Jerez, while Bautista had a weekend to forget. Philipp Oettl will also be on track on the Panigale V2 as he returns to WorldSSP, linking up with the double title-winning team from 2023 and 2024. Team HRC will be on track with Xavi Vierge, with Iker Lecuona injured following a Tissot Superpole Race crash with the #97, while the test team and Honda Racing UK will also take part. For Vierge, it was announced during the Spanish Round that 2024 crew chief Gorka Segura would leave the team.
2024 Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) won’t be at the test as he flies back to Turkey to celebrate his title, but it’s expected there will be BMW presence on track.
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