"Important to see if I have to change my style a bit…" – Alex Lowes, Bassani reflect after Bimota 1-2 at Jerez on Wednesday
The two riders were back on track with the KB998 machine for their final winter test of the calendar year
The bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team squad secured a 1-2 finish during testing at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto on Wednesday with Alex Lowes just pipping teammate Axel Bassani by 0.003s. Both riders used the SCQ tyre during their only day of testing – with development rider Florian Marino on the KB998 on Tuesday – as they led the times ahead of Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha). The team have now finished both their tests with Lowes and Bassani on top, after taking P1 on Day 2 at the first Jerez test.
ALEX LOWES’ TEST: small crash but the fastest time
In that first test, Bassani was the quickest rider, but the roles reversed in this test with the #22 claiming top spot after setting a 1’38.355s using the SCQ tyre as he matched the Tissot Superpole time he set on the Kawasaki ZX-10RR at Jerez this year (he posted a 1’38.302s for third on the grid). After five seasons on the ZX-10RR, the Brit is adapting to the new machine as he looks to adapt his riding style to get the best out of the bike. He completed 83 laps on Wednesday, with his best time coming on the 77th lap, although his day was compromised by a small crash at the Turn 6 hairpin.
Reflecting on his day, Lowes said: “It was a good day of testing, and a busy day. I spent a lot of years on the Kawasaki so there were two main targets for me: to be on the bike a bit more and understand how to ride the bike in the best way. This is something I need to think about during the winter break. It was important to see if I have to change my style a bit. We did a long run and tried to work on used tyres to get a feeling with the bike. I started to work a bit on my confidence with the front. I had a little crash in T6, pushing the front to understand a bit more. We used one SCQ tyre only and we made a good step with that. Even if that was not our main target, it was nice to be fast. With all the information we have, I am sure we can improve quite a lot. We have an understanding of the bike, but I know also where I need to work to just refine my style to get the most out of it.”
BASSANI’S DAY: matching his teammate’s SCQ time
Teammate Bassani matched Lowes’ time as he got the best out of the SCQ tyre, something he was often admitted is a weakness for him over his time in WorldSBK. He posted a 1’38.358s to finish in second place as he racked up 86 laps. The Italian’s best time came on his 42nd tour, although, like Lowes, spent a lot of time focusing on race pace despite using one SCQ tyre during the test.
‘El Bocia’ discussed his test by saying: “We worked a lot on race pace, and I am quite happy. It was really good, and I am also quite happy about doing a fast lap. I am not the best of all, but we ran the same pace as Alex and he is one of the best riders in the world over one lap. We did more or less the same lap time, so that is really good. I think we understand which way we have to take during the winter break. Now, I think everyone needs to relax a little bit, to enjoy home and family. For sure we will think about the bike but it is also important to stop and relax and we will see everyone again next year. Thank you to everybody.”
CREW CHIEFS REVIEW THE TEST: small setup changes, “impressive” race pace
Both crew chiefs also gave their thoughts on the test, with Pere Riba – Lowes’ right-hand man – saying: “This is the second test we have done with Alex, after we were here in Jerez one month ago. The bike is similar, but we have some different items to let the rider be more comfortable on the bike, with the riding position and these kinds of things. You can imagine how early in the project we are. This bike has a different character from the Kawasaki we raced in the past, in terms of riding. So, the approach from the rider has to be a little bit different. We are working to understand how to create a base bike for Alex to be comfortable, to understand it and get the feeling. We have been testing quite linear changes in terms of set-up, not big up and down changes, as I want to give time for the rider to really understand the new bike. We made some changes in terms of balance to understand the direction we want to go in. We are still at the beginning, but even like this the lap times are quite promising. Alex used only one Q tyre to set a good lap time. It was a very positive test.”
Bassani’s crew chief, Marcel Duinker, added: “First of all I would like to thank everybody for the big effort that they have all put into the project. Everybody has done an incredible job from the start until now. I think everybody can be happy and satisfied now that we are going into the holiday period. Axel feels very comfortable on the bike and is riding with a lot of confidence. He put on a good show and on both race tyres and Q tyres he was one of the fastest guys. His pace on a race tyre was honestly very impressive. We also did a long run and tested some small items. This was only our second day of testing with this machine. We made some small changes to the bike where we knew we needed to improve, and we got some positive results.”
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