Bimota WorldSBK competitors Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani conducted testing sessions at Cremona ahead of the upcoming WorldSBK event at the Italian track, though their plans were limited by rain. Cremona is notable as the last venue where Nicolo Bulega was defeated by a non-Ducati rider, apart from Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Back in the 2024 Superpole Race, it was Alex Lowes who earned that distinction, despite not securing a podium finish in any of the three races at Cremona last year during the debut of the Bimota KB998. Historically, the circuit has been favorable for Lowes, and despite the test being cut short due to afternoon showers, the British rider felt he identified a promising setup from the first practice session to build on for the Italian round in just under two weeks.
“Unfortunately, the weather turned bad around lunchtime, cutting our testing short, but we made good progress during the morning,” Lowes explained. “I really enjoyed riding the bike and we found a solid direction to work from in FP1. The test was positive, and I want to thank the team for their hard work, especially coming straight off the race weekend in Magny-Cours. Hopefully, next time we can push closer to the podium.”
Axel Bassani also shared his thoughts: “It felt good to be back on the bike after the challenging race at Magny-Cours. We were fortunate to get some dry laps before the midday rain arrived. Although the test was brief, we managed to experiment with different setups for the upcoming Cremona races. Now we can concentrate fully on the race weekend in two weeks.”
Fan Take:
This update is exciting for WorldSBK enthusiasts because both Lowes and Bassani appear to be making meaningful progress despite less-than-ideal weather conditions. Their improving form and bike development signal a potentially tighter battle at Cremona, which could lead to thrilling, unpredictable racing as the season heats up.
Source: www.crash.net
