This latest test, held between 28-29 January, was the first for the BbKRT project to be undertaken away from the Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto. It was therefore the first time that the WorldSBK-spec KB998 Rimini machine had been tested by Lowes and Bassani at a ‘new’ circuit, and on a very different track design from the relatively flat Jerez.
Once more the latest development stage of new project ended with a broadly positive result for all involved, even if a change in the weather on day two reduced the available track time.
Day One was a productive one for both riders, despite high winds and damp patches being present early on. Bassani finished second fastest of all in the final Tuesday timesheets. After just half a day of testing he was a slender 0.029 seconds behind the leading rider and 2024 WorldSBK champion, Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Lowes ended day one in overall 12th position, having not resorted to the use of a soft rear tyre to get a measure of ultimate one-lap performance at this stage. He concentrated on work with the team’s official suspension partner Showa and the bimota engineers to make a final decision on bike set-up and the direction of overall development.
Alex would go on to ride for short periods on day two, only for the track conditions to become wet again just after he had left pitlane. By the time Alex had stopped riding he had already set the fastest time of all on day two, although the first day’s drier lap times proved to be the fastest overall.
Bassani did not ride on the final day of the Portimao test after the wet conditions gathered momentum but new test rider Xavi Fores set laps on both days, working to help find more improvements on the exciting new WorldSBK-spec KB998 Rimini.
The European portion of the pre-season testing programme is now complete but all the teams and riders will take part in the official DWO pre-season tests, on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 February, at the host venue for the opening round of the new season - Phillip Island in Australia. Qualifying and racing will take place between 21-23 February, with three races in total for the WorldSBK riders.
Before both of those on-track experiences the BbKRT squad will have its official launch at the bimota factory in Rimini, Italy, on 6 February.
Alex Lowes, stated: “We faced difficult weather again at this test but we have got our first taste of the KB998 Rimini at this Portimao circuit. Honestly, the feeling was good. I had half a day on the first day, working on choosing a direction from two or three possible paths - some from Showa and some from bimota. We were hoping that today we would have an hour of dry weather so we could really check our speed, and the work we have done after half a day in Jerez and half a day here. The track was not in perfect condition on the final day, and there were some damp patches in the first sector. Then the weather came in and it started raining. It feels like we have wasted half a day of testing for a couple of laps - but even in my first laps today, with some spots of rain in the air, we set a lap time similar to my best lap on day one. Clearly, we have not shown our full potential yet. We have been working well as a team but we have so much to do and the weather is not allowing us to do it. The work we have done has been good, and all the changes we have made we understand well. We are now excited to get to Phillip Island now and see where we stack up for the first round of the new season. We always want more time, especially with a new project, but I am feeling good on the bike. This is the most important thing heading into the new season.”
Axel Bassani, stated: “We did some laps in dry conditions on Tuesday, even if the track was not completely dry. We did some laps and checked some things on the bike. We worked on the rear, especially on the rear shock with Showa. We tried something new on the rear with bimota and it has been quite good. We improved in some areas. The final day at this Portimao test was not so good because it was raining, so we preserved one day of testing and did not go out. We had also ran a little bit in the wet conditions on day one. Now we are excited to go to Australia for the official test and the first round of 2025.”
Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Alex Lowes, stated: “We used as much track time as possible as in Jerez the weather was not so good and also here in Portimao. Yesterday we were able to make half a day on track and with Alex we have been going through a list of items to test. We had some base items to test, especially from the chassis side, which gave a good result and good information. We are really in the beginning with the development of this bike and we are still trying some main things. But it was positive. We had only four hours but we got very helpful information. The lap time was good and Alex was quite solid on race tyres. We did not use a soft tyre as it made no sense at that moment. Alex was riding well, consistently and with no issues. The plan on the final day was to make more laps in the dry conditions. At 10am we did a couple of laps then it started to rain. Then we waited, it dried out again, Alex went out to make more laps - and it rained again. Alex is talking quite well with the bike and now we are looking forward to going to Australia.”
Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Axel Bassani, stated: “We had a very good first day. Initially it was a bit wet but straight after lunchtime we were able to continue the final part of our test programme. We used these four hours very efficiently and once again we ticked the boxes on our list of test items. Axel was very fast, very consistent and a very happy man. You can keep on testing for as long as you want but there is always a time to face the truth and we can say with confidence that the time is right to move to Phillip Island and start our first race weekend. The atmosphere is great in the team, everybody is enjoying it a lot and Axel is in very good mental and physical shape. We are all looking forward to stepping on the plane to Phillip Island.”