Alex Lowes explains curious Bimota WorldSBK testing decision

Bimota opted to avoid the best track conditions at the Misano WorldSBK test last week in order to focus on the weaknesses of the KB998.

One of the bike’s major pitfalls in WorldSBK since it entered the championship last year has been performance in hot conditions, which was also a problem with the ZX-10RR the KB998 effectively replaced in 2025.

With the majority of the WorldSBK season taking place in the European summer, performance in hot conditions can be a key aspect of a bike’s potential in the championship.

It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that Bimota opted not to run in the morning on day two of the recent Misano test (20–21 May) when conditions were cooler and grip was at its best after a day’s worth of rubber had been laid down on the first day, especially, as Alex Lowes explained, given the expectation that the race weekend at Misano next month will take place in warmer conditions.

“We had a busy two days at Misano,” said Lowes after the second day of the Misano test.

“We did 160 laps, so we were working hard. 

“We started a bit later on the last day, rather than going out in the morning to use the grippy track. We decided to do more laps in the afternoon session, because I think the race weekend is going to be a bit hotter. 

“I was really focused in the afternoon to have a good rhythm and I felt quite good. 

“We tried a lot of things. A lot of times when you are testing you never find the perfect set-up because you focus a lot of time in trying to improve the bike, not just for this track but for the rest of the season. 

“I am happy with the test, but of course we always want to be better, to be closer to the Ducatis. We improved our understanding of the bike, and I think we did a very good, consistent job over the two days.”

Pere Riba, Lowes’ crew chief, reflected Lowes’ view that working in hotter conditions was important at the test.

“The test was good and very hot,” Riba said. “The track surface was 50°C during the day with a maximum of 53°C. 

“On day one, we tried some components, as we had some new things to test. On the second day, we focused more on the set-up of the bike. 

“Alex [Lowes] made a good job because it was quite tough in these very hot conditions. Everybody is very fast, so everybody is pushing quite hard. 

“Alex was happy after the test and made a big effort to understand some of the items we tested. We are looking to go to the next race weekend in Aragon to keep on learning and improving the package.”

WorldSBK heads back to Misano on 12–14 June for the Emilia-Romagna Round, two weeks after the Aragon Round this weekend on 29–31 May.