KRT riders Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani were both present at recent private tests at Misano, during which they and many of their rivals took the chance to enjoy some important track time more than one month after the previous round at Assen had been completed in mid April.

The recent Misano tests, held between 30-31 May, were also a launchpad for KRT’s plans to take on the fourth round of the championship before the competition for qualifying positions and points scoring WorldSBK races gets underway this coming weekend. 

The start of the season has been almost completely positive for Lowes in the refreshed KRT set-up. Two race wins at Phillip Island in Australia led to Alex scoring strongly in all but one of the subsequent races. He is fourth overall in the championship standings on the approach to Misano as he looks to take three more strong race results on the latest spec of Ninja ZX-10RR machine.

For Bassani, Misano is a home race, the first of two he will have in the 2024 season. A new rider for KRT this year, Axel is in his first season as an official rider, learning to work inside a factory set-up and on a different machine from his three previous seasons as a top Independent rider. He is currently 16th in the championship and is looking for his second top ten finish of the year at Misano.

The recent tests were affected by rain at times, despite Misano being located very close to the many summer holiday spots on the Adriatic coast of Italy. Weather forecasts for the weekend indicate the possibility of dry and sunny weather on each practice and raceday.

Race One in the WorldSBK class will take place on Saturday 15 June, at 14.00. The ten-lap Superpole Race is scheduled for 11.00 on Sunday and the final 21-lap race of the weekend is planned to get underway at 14.00.

After Axel’s home round at Misano it will be the turn of Alex to enjoy his own race weekend at Donington Park in the UK, with the fifth round of the season to be held between 12-14 July.

Alex Lowes, stated: “Misano is always a great event and perfect way to kick back into action after a break in our calendar. The recent test here was positive and we found a good feeling with the bike. Although this circuit isn’t one of the favourites for our Ninja ZX-10RR I want to fight for the best results possible in all of the races! We’ll put everything learned at the Misano test together for Fridays action I know my crew chief Pere has some good ideas. Then let’s see how we stack up compared to our competitors. I can’t wait to get back in the mix.”

Axel Bassani, stated: “Finally we arrive at a home circuit for me. It is always special to race at home because you are always together with the family, friends, fan club and everyone. I hope to have a really good race weekend and to enjoy all parts of it. It will be difficult in some ways because we have a lot of work to do but I hope to finish all three races well. During a race weekend anything can happen. We need to stay positive, continue to push and to enjoy the experience. I also want to put on a good show for the fans at the circuit.”

Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) will soon arrive at his team’s home circuit ready to continue his strong form from the recent two day Misano tests. He has already scored points at two rounds of the season, as he competes on a KRT-supplied Ninja ZX-10RR machine this year.

2024 KRT Rider WorldSBK Statistics

Alex Lowes:
2024: Races: 9, Wins 2, Podiums 3, Superpoles 0
Career Race Wins: 4 (3 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 37 (17 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 1 (0 for Kawasaki)

Axel Bassani:
2024: Races: 9, Wins 0, Podiums 0, Superpoles 0
Career Race Wins: 0 (0 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 6 (0 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 0 (0 for Kawasaki)

8 x Riders’ Championships (Scott Russell 1993, Tom Sykes 2013, Jonathan Rea 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020), 1 x EVO Riders’ Championship (David Salom 2014)
6 x Manufacturers’ Championships (Ninja ZX-10R 2015 & 2016, Ninja ZX-10RR 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020)
5 x Teams’ Championships (KRT/Provec Racing 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019)

Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
Total Kawasaki Race Wins: 180 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Podiums: 545 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 108 – second overall

                     #NinjaSpirit

              #KRTNewStart2024