Bimota BSB boss details “official and unofficial” WorldSBK connections

2026 will see the FS-3 BSB team switch from Kawasaki to Bimota machinery, and it’s a move in which the British team has support from WorldSBK.

It was made clear in the announcement of FS-3’s switch to Bimota that the team has already been working with the Bimota WorldSBK outfit to gain an early understanding of the new bike, the Bimota KB998, that was introduced to the World Championship this year. 

There is an additional way the BSB team is connected to WorldSBK, though, via its chief engineer, Ian Prestwood, who has a personal relationship with Alex Lowes – together they won the BSB title in 2013 with Honda.

Snook described these two connections to the Provec Racing-run World Superbike team as “official and unofficial”.

“We’ve got a link with the [Bimota World Superbike] team in two ways,” Snook explained, speaking to Crash.net at the Oulton Park BSB (3-5) October.

“[Firstly], the official link through Kawasaki in Japan, in Amsterdam where they coordinate the race team, and then with the race team that operates the bike, and we will have a close relationship with Bimota on the chassis setup because of course it’s different electronics. 

“So, there’s the official route and the unofficial route: Alex Lowes won the BSB Championship about 12 years ago [2013], and our chief engineer, Ian Prestwood, was his crew chief. 

“Ian then went to World Superbike with Alex on the Yamaha and they’re almost neighbours in Lincolnshire, so they talk a bit. This is rider impressions, and it’s really good because Alex knows the tracks here.”

Compared to the ZX-10RR, Snook said the indications from Lowes are that the KB998 is an improvement in several areas which overall might make a small difference in lap time, but relatively speaking Snook thinks this could make a big difference in BSB.

“Alex says the bike is less strenuous to ride, it’s easier on its tyres, and the key thing is it changes direction better than the conventional ZX-10RR; which is of course designed to be a road bike carrying a pillion, whereas the Bimota, a bit like a Ducati Panigale V4 R, was developed as a race chassis. 

“So, they got the race chassis that they like and now they’ve created a road bike out of it, so it’s got racer DNA in it. 

“It’s what we’ve seen on the track, but it’s in formal feedback from Alex as well. 

“Obviously, there’s no difference to weight because there are weight limits and what have you. 

“It’s [the KB998] got effective aerodynamics, which we don’t really have at the moment. So, there’s a number of small features. 

“It’s not going to be night-and-day, it’s still driven by the good old ZX-10 engine. 

“There’s a slightly updated, up-specced version of the engine, which is homologated for World Superbike which hopefully we’ll be able to use here. 

“So, it’s a number of incremental things. Here, 0.3 seconds per lap makes the difference between winning and losing.”

A question of riders: “You can safely assume Cook will be with us”

One thing left out of the Bimota announcement was the identity of the riders.

Snook had no absolute answers at Oulton Park, but was able to indicate that Max Cook is likely to remain with the team, and that FS-3 has had more interest since the Bimota announcement was made.

“Our contracts with the riders say that until the end of October, two weeks after Brands Hatch, we’re honour-bound to give each other exclusive first refusal,” Snook explained.

“That doesn’t always work because people get in people’s ears. 

“What I will say is I have been helping and supporting Max Cook since he was 15 and I think you can probably safely assume that Max will be with us again next year. 

“Christian’s [Iddon] our senior rider, so we have to have a bit more of a conversation there.

“Ideally, we’ll say something at Brands Hatch but we don’t want to put people under pressure or have ourselves put under pressure. 

“If all else fails there’s always the show at the NEC. 

“So, since we’ve announced the bike, let’s just say we’ve had a few more phone calls than usual.”

Bimota arrival “not the ZX-10’s swansong”

While Bimota will replace Kawasaki as a brand in the 2026 BSB season, Snook pointed out that that the ZX-10RR is still having a strong season.

Christian Iddon in particular has excelled aboard the Akashi bike in 2025, winning in the rain at Assen and taking two further podiums, along with 15 total top-six finishes.

For Snook, it’s proof that the ZX-10RR is still a capable package, perhaps more so than other brands that became more favoured in recent years.

“I don’t remember the exact statistics now, but I think Christian must have finished in the top-five [top-six] I think 15 or 16 times now [in 2025],” Snook said.

“Lots of people thought a Honda was the thing to have two years ago, but now the Honda’s at the middle and the lower-half of the grid. So, we’re pleased to demonstrate to some of the naysayers that the ZX-10 [is a good bike]. 

“I think the fact, a couple of years ago, that Jonathan Rea struggled [in World Superbike], people started to think ‘It must be the bike’, when he was racing Toprak [Razgatlioglu]. 

“The thing about the ZX-10RR is that it does everything well. It doesn’t do one thing fantastically well like a Ducati on speed and power, or a Yamaha; and almost every circuit we turn up to sort of suits us – particularly the up-and-down, round-and-round ones; and high-speed ones. 

“So, it’s not really the ZX-10’s swansong because its engine is going to be the heart of the Bimota. But it’s good to see some green at the front [in 2025].”