Bimota driver Alex Lowes set the fastest time at the Jerez test. The superbike veteran was able to make the most of the day to familiarize himself with the new KB998. He still sees potential, especially on the curveball.
On the 26th and 27th of November, some teams from the World Superbike Championship tested at the Circuito de Jerez. The Bimota team was also on site to collect the necessary data and do development work with the new KB998. While on the first day only the test driver Florian Marino did his laps hard on the track, on the second day two regular drivers Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani were on a long climb of 4.428 km.
The experienced Lowes set the fastest time in 1:38.355, with his team-mate in second place, who was 0.003s slower than the Brit. The weather cooperated and the two factory drivers were able to make the most of their test day, of which they only have ten a year. “We have a limit of ten days of testing, so we have to use them wisely. The weather forecast for today was better, so we took advantage of that day,” explained Lowes. “We had new parts available and the bike was rebuilt for this test. On the first day, our test driver was able to check everything so he didn’t waste time, which is very important for us at the moment.”
Lowes was among the fastest drivers all day and led many laps. “I had a bit of a slide in Turn 6 to see how far I could go with the front end. I was on a Kawasaki for many years and I completely changed my style from the Yamaha to this bike. The Bimota needs a less aggressive riding style, especially at the entrance of the corner and on the brakes. But the ability of the bike is very good, “said the 34-year-old. “Compared to the Kawasaki, it has made a big step the ability of the motorcycle. I enjoy it, every time we make changes to the bike is different than expected. That’s why it’s important to collect a lot of information, which we did well today.
Lowes continued: “We also did a race simulation and I also used the qualifying tyre. The bike responded very well. The bike behaves a little differently at the entrance to the corner, where I was very strong with the Kawasaki. But the bike is good to ride and very strong on the tracks. corners – it has a lot of stability, which in turn gives us a good feeling on the gas.
Times SBK Jerez Test, Wednesday (November 27): | |||||
Pos | the driver | Category | Motorcycle | Time | Different |
1 | Alex Lowes (GB) | SBK World Cup | Bimotor | 1:38,355 minutes | |
2 | Axel Bassani (I) | SBK World Cup | Bimotor | 1:38,358 | 0,003 sec |
3 | Jonathan Rea (GB) | SBK World Cup | Yamaha | 1:38,452 | 0.097 |
4 | Garrett Gerloff (USA) | SBK World Cup | Kawasaki | 1:38,839 | 0.484 |
5 | Sam Lowes (GB) | SBK World Cup | Ducati | 1:38,890 | 0.535 |
6 | Andrea Locatelli (I) | SBK World Cup | Yamaha | 1:39,508 | 1,153 |
7 | Marcel Schrötter (D) | SSP-WM | Ducati | 1:43,253 | 4,898 |
8 | Valentine Debise (F) | SSP-WM | Ducati | 1:43,495 | 5,140 |
9 | Kaito Toba (J) | SSP-WM | Honda | 1:43,726 | 5,371 |
10 | Ondrej Vostatek (CZ) | SSP-WM | Ducati | 1:43,793 | 5,438 |
Times Test SBK Jerez, Tuesday (November 26): | |||||
Pos | the driver | Category | Motorcycle | Time | Different |
1. | Garrett Gerloff (USA) | SBK World Cup | Kawasaki | 1:38,861 minutes | |
2. | Jonathan Rea (GB) | SBK World Cup | Yamaha | 1:39,429 | 0.568 sec |
3. | Andrea Locatelli (I) | SBK World Cup | Yamaha | 1:39,599 | 0.738 |
4. | Sam Lowes (GB) | SBK World Cup | Ducati | 1:39,609 | 0.748 |
5. | Florian Marino (F) | SBK World Cup | Bimotor | 1:39,981 | 1,120 |
6. | Valentine Debise (F) | SSP-WM | Ducati | 1:43,765 | 4,904 |
7. | Kaito Toba (J) | SSP-WM | Honda | 1:43,851 | 4,990 |
8. | Marcel Schrötter (D) | SSP-WM | Ducati | 1:44,757 | 5,896 |
9. | Ondrej Vostatek (CZ) | SSP-WM | Ducati | 1:44,851 | 5,990 |