Bimota WorldSBK rider Alex Low🍌es has opened up on the early stages of development of the It𓄧alian brand’s KB998 that it is racing season.

The Italian brand announced its re-entry to the 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:World Superbike Championship last year, with Alex Lowes and ✱Axel Bassani both retained as rider as partꦛ of the Provec racing-run Kawasaki Racing Team – renamed this year to Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team (BBKRT).

For Lowes, the change of brand from Kawasaki to ✱Bimota was something of a shock in the middle of the 2024 season.

“I remember when the bosses – Guim [Roda, BBKRT Team Manager] and the guys – came to me to explain to me [about the switch to Bimota], I thought they were telling me that they were going to fire me and kick me out,” Lowes explained, speaking to WorldSBK.𝔍com.

“It was a strange feeling, 🥃I was like ‘I don’t know what’s going on here,’ everything was really secret, but a secret inside the family of the team.

“They explained to m💖e about the future, everybody was excited, and when I tried the bike for the first time I was anxꦜious, honestly, because [2024] was the best feeling I had for many years in World Superbike – I was riding really well, fighting for some podiums every weekend.

“I was really confident [on the Kawasaki in 2024], so I was thinking ‘How’s it going to feel, I’m feeling really good with the bike I’ve got,’ b🐽ut it w𒀰as interesting.”

Lowes added that he was able to try the bike for the first time in Barcelona last y⛎ear, where he was surprised at the difference in feeling between the Bimota and the Kawasaki he was us🤡ed to.

“The first time I tried the bike, I did 16 laps in ꦫBarcelona,” he said.

“There was nobody there; Florian [Marino], the test rid🌜er, had been riding the bike a couple of times.

“I’dไ been waiting all day, a little bꦇit nervous. I rode the bike just to get an initial feeling of the chassis and I couldn’t believe how different it felt [compared to the Kawasaki], to be honest, because the engine was the same [but] the way the bike was going into the corner and turning was a lot different.

“Obviously, in these laps, I didn’t📖 get time to explore the bike, but just to give my initial input; and my initial feeling on the bike was nice.

“It really means a lot to me to be involved from the start of꧟ the project and hopefully arrive fighting at the front of World Superbike with 🍨this bike.”