The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship may be over but the final pieces of the puzzle regarding 2025 are slotting into place and it’s good news for the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team, who will double their efforts and field two bikes for the forthcoming season. Their riders will be a mixture of wiser experience and youthful exuberance, as 2014 Moto2™ World Champion Tito Rabat and WorldSSP race winner Bahattin Sofuoglu spearhead Sandro Carusi’s new-look team for next year.

RABAT’S NEXT MOVE: a third manufacturer for the 2014 Moto2™ Champion

Rabat first came over to the WorldSBK paddock in 2021, following many successful years in the MotoGP™ World Championship paddock which yielded numerous top ten finishes in the premier class as well as 13 wins, 36 podiums and one Moto2™ World Championship. Debuting with Ducati and achieving top ten finishes in his first season before repeating those achievements and getting points aboard the Puccetti Kawasaki in 2024, the 35-year-old will embrace a new bike, a new team but with same goals and desires as previous years.

Tito Rabat looks forwards to the switch of manufacturers, stating: “I’m excited to join the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team. I think the Yamaha YZF-R1 has a setup that is easier to define than other bikes, which means even a private team can be competitive. Our first goal will be the top twelve, but we’ll see how things go during the season. I can’t wait to start the winter tests and compete in the 2025 Championship.  I want to thank Carusi for this opportunity, and hope to able to repay the team with good results.”

TURKISH REPRESENTATION DOUBLES: Sofuoglu follows in uncle Kenan’s footsteps and looks up to Toprak

It’s a pleasing circularity for Bahattin Sofuoglu, who raced with Sandro Carusi’s team during his WorldSSP300 years, where he was able to win on four occasions and be on the podium a total of eight times. He moved up to WorldSSP with MV Agusta for the European rounds of 2022 and impressed with three top fives in the last four rounds of the year before going on to take the manufacturer’s most recent win in Barcelona’s Race 2 of 2023. Remaining with the team since until splitting by mutual agreement in the final rounds of 2024, Sofuoglu’s move to Yamaha in WorldSBK will make for one of the most exciting prospects of the season.

Graduating to the top class in the paddock and adding to the Turkish presence on the WorldSBK grid, Bahattin Sofuoglu is eager to start his World Superbike journey: “I’m really pleased to be able to race with my former team again. We had some really good, successful seasons and podiums in WorldSSP300 and now we’re back together in the reigning class. My plan is to be ready as soon as possible as I embark on this exciting new chapter in my career. I’ve started riding a production YZF-R1 so that I can build confidence as I wait for the first tests. I want to say a big thank you to Sandro Carusi and Yamaha”.

CARUSI SPEAKS OF REFRESHED FEEL: Sofuoglu “promising youngster”, Rabat from rival to core member

Sandro Carusi, team boss, stated his delight at being able to expand the team’s presence in the World’s fastest and most popular production-based Championship, saying: “I can finally confirm that we’ll be fielding two riders next season. The experienced Tito Rabat, who is also an ex-Moto2™ World Champion and will be joined by promising youngster Bahattin Sofuoglu. Tito has been our rival in recent seasons and so I’m pleased that he’ll now be part of our team. We began working with Bahattin in 2020 when he was part of our WorldSSP300 Championship team. Over those two seasons, we were often on the podium and I always hoped that our paths would again cross one day. This will be our first season with two riders in WorldSBK and so there will also be changes in terms of our technical staff, with new entries as well as familiar faces. I’m sure that we can have a really close-knit work group in 2025.”

THE TEAM’S WorldSBK HISTORY: top six potential in years gone by

The team’s presence on the WorldSBK grid dates back to 2022 when Italian Roberto Tamburini moved up to the class and demonstrated some solid rides, with a best of P10 in Barcelona but a total of ten points-scoring finishes. 2023 saw them bet on BSB champion of 2022 Brad Ray, who elevated the team to a memorable top six finish at Imola in 2023. This would remain the team’s best performance to-date as 2024 wasn’t able to see Ray fight for the top six as he’d have previously hoped.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

After taking victory in his year back racing in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Champion, ‘The Maniac’ is now making another comeback – this time, to MotoGP™! Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) will replace Fabio Di Giannantonio at the Pertamina Enduro SKY VR46 Ducati outfit for the final two rounds of the 2024 MotoGP™ season, taking place at Sepang in Malaysia and the season finale in Valencia, Spain. It’ll be Iannone’s first appearance since the 2019 Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, where he was a race leader for Aprilia before not taking part in the remainder of the season and the start of his four-year ban.

Iannone is no stranger to MotoGP™ at all, having raced there his entire professional racing life from 2005 to 2019, where he won in 125cc, Moto2™ and MotoGP™, famously ending Ducati’s win drought with victory at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Iannone moved to Suzuki where he achieved podiums across 2017 and 2018 but it was a difficult year at Aprilia in 2019, bringing just three top ten finishes and a best of P6 in Australia.

After his four year ban, the #29 was once again back on a race track and he stole the show immediately in World Superbike, taking the opening holeshot of the 2024 season and taking a debut podium. Four more podiums followed, including a sensational victory at MotorLand Aragon, becoming the eight different winner of 2024 and the 19th to win in both MotoGP™ and WorldSBK. Eighth overall in the Championship standings, there’ll be no expectactions for Iannone’s return to MotoGP™ for Valentino Rossi’s Ducati squad.

Speaking ahead of the penultimate MotoGP™ round of the year and his first in over five years, Iannone said: “Riding the world champion bike is exciting. MotoGP™ is the most technological and high-performance bike, I’m honored that they thought of me and I felt like I had to say yes to this opportunity immediately as soon as it was offered to me. The challenge is certainly crazy, complex and demanding, as I haven’t ridden a bike in this category for years and without having done tests or similar. I’m excited to be able to work with Ducati and the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, both for the very high level and for the friendship since years. I thank Valentino Rossi, Alessio Salucci, Pablo Nieto, Gigi Dall’Igna, Claudio Domenicali and Mauro Grassilli.”

Alessio Salucci, Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team director welcomed Iannone back to the paddock with open arms: “I am very happy to confirm that Andrea will race with our colors on the Ducati Desmosedici GP. First of all, Andrea has shown to be in great shape, he closed the WorldSBK season on a high and has always remained close to Ducati. He is a great friend of the VR46 family, both mine and Vale’s. We are very happy to welcome him to the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team and to see him back on a MotoGP™ bike; it’s a really great story! At the same time, we all wish Fabio the best of luck as he will undergo shoulder surgery this week and we can’t wait to see him back on track in 2025”.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed the 204 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto after an almost perfect campaign. He broke records and made history for BMW, so we’ve found some key stats from Razgatlioglu’s campaign as ‘El Turco’ became a two-time Champion.

248 – Despite missing two rounds, the Turkish rider led 248 laps (out of a possible 593, 41.8%) in 2024, almost double led by Nicolo Bulega with 127; they were the only two riders to lead more than 100 laps

92-79 – Razgatlioglu’s biggest margin over second place was 92 points after Portimao. He lost 79 points of that when he was out injured, but extended his lead to win by 43 points over Bulega

90 – Razgatlioglu finished on the podium in 90% of his races this season, standing on the rostrum 27 times out of a possible 30, an all-time record for any manufacturer (excluding Mick Doohan’s three wins in four races for Yamaha)

60 – ‘El Turco’ also won 60% of his races this season, taking victory 18 times. Like the 90% of podiums, it’s a record for a manufacturer discounting Doohan’s incredible record

18/32, 6/12 – Razgatlioglu has taken more than half of BMW’s victories in WorldSBK (18 out of 32), and half their pole positions (six out of 12)

13 – Razgatlioglu claimed 13 consecutive wins in WorldSBK before his Magny-Cours FP2 crash, beating the previous record held jointly by Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea (11)

11 – He’s the 11^th double Champion in WorldSBK, after Rea (6), Carl Fogarty (4), Troy Bayliss (3), Fred Merkel, Doug Polen, Colin Edwards, Troy Corser, James Toseland, Bautista and Max Biaggi (all 2)

6 – Excluding the first season, he’s the sixth rider to win the title in his first season with a new manufacturer. He follows Polen (1991, Ducati), Corser (1994, Ducati; 2005, Suzuki), John Kocinski (1997, Honda), Ben Spies (2009, Yamaha) and Rea (2015, Kawasaki)

6 – The Turkish superstar is the first rider to win the title despite missing six races; the previous record was two (Polen, 1991; Fogarty, 1994)

3/5 – three of Razgatlioglu’s five WorldSBK ‘Grands Chelems’ came in 2024, when he started from pole, won the race, led every lap, and set the fastest lap: Donington Park (Race 1 and Race 2), Most (Race 1). The others came at Estoril in 2020 (Superpole Race) and Mandalika 2022 (Race 1).

3/2/1 – He’s the third rider to win titles with two different manufacturers (Yamaha, BMW), after Corser (Ducati, Suzuki) and Toseland (Ducati, Honda). He’s the first to do it without winning for Ducati

1/7 – Razgatlioglu’s title is the first for BMW, who become the seventh manufacturer to win the Riders’ Championship after Ducati (16), Kawasaki (8), Honda (6), Aprilia (3), Yamaha (2) and Suzuki (1)

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Two teams from the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will head to MotorLand Aragon for two days of testing at the Spanish venue. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team will be joined by the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team at Aragon, which will be the first glimpse of Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and teammate Michael van der Mark ahead of the 2025 campaign.

Both Razgatlioglu and van der Mark missed last week’s Jerez test, with BMW’s test riders – Sylvain Guintoli and Markus Reiterberger drafted in – as they bedded in the 2025 engine and put some kilometres on it. The German brand only did one day of testing at Jerez with the test team, instead looking to put more focus on the Aragon test where ‘El Turco’ and van der Mark will be in action, also testing new aerodynamics on the M 1000 RR.

Speaking at Jerez on the Aragon plan, Team Principal Shaun Muir said: “At Jerez, we had the new 2025 engine upgrade and we basically just wanted to put kilometres on those engines to do a full preparation for Aragon. At Aragon, we’ll roll out the newer items. I hope they’ll come back full of energy with a bit of time to recover from the fantastic weekend we’ve just had. The bikes are, by and large, complete after today with the engine upgrades in them. We’ve got some new material, new aerodynamics to try on the bike and it’ll be the engineers working with the application guys and starting to get the new engine dialled in, all the characteristics that Michael and Toprak are looking for with the engine brake feel.”

The BMW team will be joined by Axel Bassani and Alex Lowes from the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team as they get their second taste of the new machine. Bimota are returning to WorldSBK action in 2025 with their testing programme starting already. At Jerez, test rider Florian Marino took over test duties on Day 1, before Lowes and Bassani got their first taste of the bike on Day 2, where they finished first and second.

With both riders heading into the new era of the Provec Racing-run squad with knowledge of the Kawasaki ZX-10RR – Lowes raced it from 2020 while Bassani was on it last season for the first time – their focus will be on adapting to the new bike which, although is powered by Kawasaki, has different characteristics thanks to a new chassis and aerodynamics (you can read more about the Bimota’s tech side HERE).

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Bimota made their MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship return at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto with two days of testing. Florian Marino took over testing duties on Day 1 before bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team race riders Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani jumped on the bike on Day 2, racking up plenty of mileage and gathering lots of data and information as they looked to start the new project in the best possible way with positive feedback coming from the camp so far.

With test rider Marino on hand for duties on Tuesday, Lowes and Bassani got their first taste of the machine on Wednesday – you can read their feedback plus a technical overview from Team Manager Guim Roda HERE. Roda explained some of the feedback the manufacturer had gathered from all three riders as the project looks to the season-opening Australian Round in February 2025, with plenty more tests to come between now and then.

Discussing the feedback received so far, Roda said: “The way we worked was great. We collected a lot of information with the new bike and, on Day 1, worked with Florian to make sure everything was working well with the bike fully assembled. We just had to adjust a few points to make sure everything was ready to go. On Wednesday, we had the crew chiefs with the riders, and the rhythm they took from the weekend, which was good as they could really feel the points to adjust and they were able to go fast, but, at the same time, understand the bike characteristics and areas to improve so we gathered a lot of information. With this base bike, we were already able to go fast, so expectations for the future are quite positive. We’re happy that the base bike is working. We understand the engine character with this new chassis and now we need to work a lot.”

During the test, Bassani posted a 1’38.478s as he topped the second day of running ahead of teammate Lowes. That time was around half-a-second quicker than ‘El Bocia’ managed during the Spanish Round on the ZX-10RR, with his best during the weekend a 1’38.917s. Lowes’ best was a 1’38.679s at the test as he finished behind his teammate, with the #22 unable to match or better his best time from the round – although with five seasons on the ZX-10RR compared to Bassani’s one, he has more to ‘unlearn’ as he adapts to the new bike.

Talking about the strong start to testing for the team, Roda said: “It’s good. Maybe it’s not better than expected, but it helps calm things down when the starting point is quite strong. When we transform the prototype to the mass production bike, as we have to take care of some production limitations, we could achieve a good product. We have to say we are quite surprised and happy that the starting point is so good.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Ducati secured their 20^th Manufacturers’ Championship title in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship during the Prometeon Spanish Round. Victory for Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in Race 1 at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto was enough to wrap up the title for the Italian factory after a stellar 2024 campaign, where five riders on the Panigale V4 R claimed victory and contributed to their success.

The season got off to the perfect start in Australia as Bulega won Race 1 in Australia, before he added victories at Magny-Cours, Estoril, and Jerez to cap off his rookie season with six wins and second in the Championship, behind only Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in the standings. The #11 also claimed 24 podiums after a stellar start to his World Superbike season.

His teammate, Alvaro Bautista, took four wins in 2024 as he finished third in the standings and relinquished his title to Razgatlioglu. His first win of the season came on home soil in Barcelona in Race 2, before victory in the Tissot Superpole Race at Assen in Round 3. He then had to wait until MotorLand Aragon for his third and fourth victories, where he took a Sunday double as he returned to winning ways.

Barni Spark Racing Team gave two winners to Ducati’s cause this season. First of all, an inspired tyre gamble by Nicholas Spinelli helped him to victory in a wet Race 1 at Assen, where he took the team’s first win in the Championship. Then when WorldSBK headed to Cremona, Danilo Petrucci took an emotional hat-trick on home soil for his first wins in the Championship, making his own bit of motorsport history.

Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) added his name to Ducati folklore too as he ended an eight-year drought for victory. After his MotoGP™ win at the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix, Iannone waited until Race 1 at MotorLand Aragon this year before returning to the top step of the podium. His famous win helped Ducati achieve their goal of winning the Manufacturers’ Championship.

The Bologna-based manufacturer have now taken 20 WorldSBK crowns in their history, including the last three-in-a-row despite missing out on this year’s Riders’ Championship. They previously won it in 2011, which game after they won it back-to-back in 2008 and 2009. Between 1998 and 2006, they won the title on all but one occasion, when Suzuki bettered them in 2005. Before that, they won it between 1991 and 1996, before Honda interrupted their run in 1997.

Gigi Dall’Igna, General Manager of Ducati Corse, spoke about the success, saying: “The victory of our 20th WorldSBK Manufacturers’ title is certainly something exceptional. It comes in a challenging year, where the regulations and the ever-increasing level of the Championship put us to the test. However, we managed to respond in the best possible way, achieving another historic and important milestone. This year, the Panigale V4 R reached the top step of the podium with five different riders, the same riders who, with their results, helped to accumulate the points that once again allowed us to reach the top of the world. So, thanks to Nicolo Bulega, Alvaro Bautista and Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, to Danilo Petrucci, Nicholas Spinelli, and Barni Racing Team, to Andrea Iannone and Team GoEleven, and more generally, to all the Ducati riders and their teams. Finally, as always, a heartfelt thanks to all the men and women of Ducati Corse who, with passion and enthusiasm, embraced and overcame the challenges of this season!”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Philipp Oettl made his return to FIM Supersport World Championship action at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto when he linked up with the Feel Racing WorldSSP Team for the first time. The German rider spent two years in WorldSSP in 2020 and 2021 before competing in three WorldSBK campaigns but is now returning to the World Supersport. He’ll ride the team’s Ducati Panigale V2, which was taken to the title in 2023 by Nicolo Bulega and 2024 by Adrian Huertas.

After two seasons with the Panigale V4 R and a year with the Yamaha R1 in WorldSBK, Oettl will race the Panigale V2 in 2025 as he makes a step to WorldSSP, linking up with the squad that has won the last two titles when competing under the Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team banner. Having already claimed podiums in the class on the Kawasaki ZX-6R, Oettl will be hoping the combination of bike, team, and rider will allow him to fight for wins and the Championship.

Talking about re-adapting to World Supersport machinery, the German said: “It’s very difficult because the speeds on a WorldSBK machine are really different. You have no traction control. In the beginning, it was really difficult but with time, you adapt a little bit better. I think we did a good job. We tried two different bikes, basically to make myself a little bit more comfortable: rider position, rear brake on the handlebar. Very simple adaptations then tried the different tyres to see how the bike reacts. In the afternoon, we tried a few different setup things on the bike. We tried to keep it simple.”

During the test, Oettl completed 64 laps on Day 1 and 62 on Day 2 to total 126 at the Spanish circuit. He was one of three WorldSSP riders on track and although he finished second behind Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) on both days, his pace improved by around half-a-second between the two days. His fastest time on Tuesday was a 1’43.057s before he set a 1’42.523s on Wednesday.

Explaining his test programme, Oettl said: “It was really exciting because, after such a difficult year in WorldSBK, it was good to make some fast laps on the WorldSSP bike. I think adaptation was a big thing in these two days, but I got used to it quite well. It takes a little bit more time than two days. I think we found the basics and what I need, what I want. We had two bikes, and it was good to test a few different things and for the next test at Jerez in January, we’re well prepared. I’ll do some winter training and everything should be alright.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Although the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team didn’t complete the full two days of MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship testing at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, both Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Bautista left the test feeling positive. Bulega only took part on Tuesday while Bautista was on track for 1.5 days, ending his test slightly early on Wednesday after getting through his test programme. After their respective tests ended, both Bulega and Bautista, as well as Team Manager Serafino Foti, reviewed the Jerez test.

BULEGA QUICKEST OF ALL: Day 1 time remains unbeaten

Bulega ended the test as the fastest rider on Day 1 and overall, after putting on an SCQ tyre to set a 1’38.412s. He racked up 86 laps on his only test day at Jerez as he focused on small details as well as working on the base of his Panigale V4 R, as he aims to go one better in 2025 than he did in his rookie campaign.

Reviewing his test and speaking on Tuesday, Bulega said: “I’m happy. We tried different, small things and they worked quite well. We were lucky because my feeling with the bike was already very good from the race. We didn’t lose a lot of time to find a good setup. We started the test with a good base. We worked on that. I set my time with the SCQ, I tried it just because we put something different on the bike but I’m happier with the race pace and then the SCQ.”

BAUTISTA POSITIVE DESPITE CRASH: focusing on a new base

Bautista completed more running than his teammate with an extra few hours of testing on Wednesday. 85 laps on Tuesday, despite a Turn 2 crash, was followed up by 55 more on Wednesday during his shortened day. His fastest time was a 1’39.567s, from Day 1, but he didn’t use a SCQ tyre like Bulega did. Bautista’s main focus was to reset after an up-and-down year, looking at the base of his Panigale V4 R and trying something new right at the end of his test.

Bautista said on Wednesday: “We decided just to do half a day to continue the work we started on Day 1. The important thing for us was to reset and create a new base. I didn’t want to touch anything on Day 1, just to change my approach to riding the bike. On Day 2, we didn’t touch anything until the last exit. It was good because I was getting more confident, changing how I was riding on the bike a little bit and understanding many things. With all the data from Tuesday and Wednesday morning, we made a setup change which allowed me to ride a bit better. I just did one exit, but it was really nice. I had a better feeling. It’s been positive because we have different data from the past and we have the winter to analyse everything and try to make a programme for the work in the first test of next year.”

FROM THE TEAM: “The test was so positive…”

Team Manager Foti summed up the test from a team point of view, saying: “Regarding Nicolo, we did just one day because he finished the programme so it had no sense to lose another day. We worked with him only on the setup of the bike, to improve the setup a little bit. We’re quite happy with the results and I think he’s ready for the January test. For Alvaro, it was important for him to try a different configuration of the bike because our goal was to try to get the feeling with the bike. We tried a lot of things on Wednesday morning and the test was so positive. He didn’t use any soft tyres or development tyres, just the standard ones to improve the feeling with the bike.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

With testing now done at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, it’s time for all the data that’s been collected. Honda were one of the busiest manufacturers at the test, with four riders on track on Day 1 and three on Day 2, completing several hundred laps of the Spanish venue. After making great strides throughout 2024 to become regular contenders in the top ten, Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and Team Manager Jose Escamez spoke after the test about the next steps for Honda.

The #97 was the sole race rider from Team HRC as teammate Iker Lecuona was undergoing surgery on a foot injury. Vierge completed 80 laps on Day 1 and 86 on Day 2 as he collected lots of information and data for the Honda engineers. His best time came on the second day when he set a 1’39.438s which, at the time was good enough for P2. As other riders improved, the Spaniard fell to fourth in the day’s classification. He was joined on track by Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) and Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) on both days, plus test rider Tetsuta Nagashima on Day 1.

Reflecting on his test, Vierge said: “It’s been a really important two days for us. We mainly focused on the electronics, doing a lot of back-to-backs on the bike setup, also on the suspension. It’s been really good because we had different track conditions. In the morning, it was so grippy because the temperature was quite fresh. During the day, it was super-hot so we can compare data from all conditions. It’s been really important. We did a lot of laps, trying all those things, and now the engineers will have a long winter to work on it to make the steps forward we need. We focused on race pace. We improved a little bit there which is important because the conditions change and it gets hotter, we struggle a bit more. I think we made some progress in that.”

His thoughts were echoed by team boss Escamez, who also gave his thoughts on the test but explained the next steps for Honda after a mixed 2024. The team made progress throughout the year after starting it off by being outside the top ten, before making their way forwards, step-by-step, which culminated in a podium for Lecuona at Estoril in the penultimate round of the season.

Discussing the next steps for the Japanese manufacturer to continue making steps forward, Escamez said: “We’ve collected a lot of data in order to make priorities on what we really need, what we’re going to analyse and understand through the winter and take decisions for 2025. It’s always a pity that we couldn’t have Iker as he was having surgery. In any case, we made a priority of our needs and I think we’ve collected a lot of information. Xavi’s completed a lot of laps during these two days, and I think it’s going to be worth it to understand and work with all the concepts and work we’ve got planned.”

On the future testing plan, he added: “It depends on the data we’ve collected at Jerez, but I think the most important thing is going to be the electronics. I would say this is our priority right now. In the other areas, we want to improve. Probably a bit with the engine to see if we can find more potential, in terms of the chassis as well. I think the electronics will be the most important parts for us.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

It was a good first day on the bike for Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team duo Axel Bassani and Alex Lowes, with the pair finishing first and second. Bassani was the quicker of the two after ‘El Bocia’ posted a 1’38.478s to finish two tenths clear of his teammate, and both the #47 and #22 gave their first impressions of the new machine after their first day on the bike concluded on Day 2 at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto.

BASSANI’S TEST AND IMPRESSIONS: two tenths quicker than Lowes

Bassani put in a flurry of late and fast laps in the final 30 minutes of the test as he set a 1’38.478s to claim P1, although his time wasn’t as quick as the pace from Day 1; he was around three tenths slower than Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) managed on Tuesday when the #11 used the SCQ tyre. Nevertheless, the Italian moved himself into top spot for Wednesday’s running while also completing 76 laps.

Discussing his first time on the bike, and reviewing his test, Bassani said: “It’s been a really good first day with the new Bimota. It wasn’t easy in the first part because it’s a completely new bike and we had to discover everything. I think we did a really good job. The team worked well, and the bike is nice, I’m feeling good. We have a lot of work to do but, at the moment, we’re doing a really good job. My time was half-a-second better than my Superpole time last weekend. This means my feeling with the bike is good and I can push.”

P2 FOR LOWES: a late lap at the end of the day for second

Lowes, like Bassani, put in a late lap to move into second place. He posted a 1’38.679s to claim P2 and finish 0.201s down on his teammate, although he was half-a-second up on Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) in third. The Brit completed a similar number of laps to his teammate, adding 67 laps to the team’s tally; they totalled 143 on Day 2, while test and development rider Florian Marino, who tested exclusively on Tuesday, completed 72 laps.

Giving his review of his first day on the bike, four-time race winner Lowes said: “It was good to start this new challenge. We’re starting to explore the bike. We need to understand how the changes make the bike feel, what I need from the bike, maybe changing the riding style a little bit. Lots of things and work to do, but it was nice to get started; I enjoyed riding the bike. The feeling was nice from the first laps this morning. It’s been a really good and fun first day on the bike.”

ADAPTING TO THE NEW BIKE: progress for Lowes

Giving a brief overview on how he’s adapting to the bike after spending five years on the ZX-10RR: “It’s surprising. I think the bike needs to be ridden in a different way because I rode the Kawasaki for five years, and I felt like I was able to take everything from the bike. This bike, I think you need to ride a little bit smoother. I’ll need to change my riding style to get everything out of the bike and understand it a bit more. Right now, I feel like I’m not really using the bike. I’ll learn more about that in the next test coming up. It’s difficult when I know the old bike so well to really understand. The way the bike turns and handles is nice, it’s smooth and turns well. On top of that, the rider feeling and the effort you put in goes with getting comfortable on the bike and setting changes on the bike.”

Bassani also explained his adaptation, albeit from only a single year on Kawasaki machinery. He said: “It’s quite different because we have the wings, and the chassis is completely different. It’s like riding a different bike with the same engine. It’s strange because the sound is the same, but the feeling isn’t. They’re two different things. The Kawasaki was a good bike, but the Bimota is a bike of a new era so it’s good for us.”

DISSECTING THE BIKE: split chassis and engine changes

Team Manager Guim Roda gave a technical oversight of the bike, discussing the split steel-aluminium chassis and the engine. He said: “We need to discover the chassis. Basically, it’s an identity of Bimota. There’s pros and cons, as with everything in life, and it’s our job to use this concept to maximise it in racing activities, and that’s what we’re paid for; to really try to take the tools they provide to the best possible results and, for sure, we have the possibility and capacity to improve the chassis. That’s what we’re going to focus on. We worked a little bit on the engine according to what the rules allow us, and we made a step. Puccetti already compared them yesterday and today and we worked on that. It’s another job we need to do to understand how to maximise it. Everyone is always looking for acceleration and top speed, so let’s see if we can, we can’t make magic because the rules are the rules. At the level we are, small steps are important so the sum of many small details will give us a good step.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com