Axel Bassani tested at Jerez recently, very shortly after the end of the previous round in Motorland Aragon, finding some positives in bike set-up. He is primed and ready to race again now, hoping to improve on his personal season best of fifth place (taken in Race One at the Cremona Circuit) in at least one of the three Estoril races.
Alex Lowes suffered an injured left lower leg after a Superpole Race fall at Motorland. He has been undergoing a period of recuperation at home in the UK ever since, meaning he did not test at Jerez with Axel.
Lowes’ UK medical team is satisfied that he can travel to Portugal with the intention of racing, although the final decision will be made, as always, by the official FIM medical authorities once Alex arrives at the circuit.
Estoril has been renovated and revitalised over the past few seasons and will host a WorldSBK weekend for the fourth time since it reappeared on the calendar in 2020. The WorldSBK riders did not, however, race there last season.
The 4.182km circuit features both fast and tight sections, with some points of particularly hard braking and very quick changes of direction.
Lowes is currently fifth in the championship with 264 points. Axel is 15th with 88 points.
Estoril will be followed by the 2024 season finale at the modern classic Andalusian venue of the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, between 18-20 October.
Alex Lowes, stated: “I am looking forward to the final two rounds. I’ve been working hard on my recovery since Aragon so that I can be ready for action. It’s a fun track layout at Estoril and still relatively new on our calendar. I’ve always enjoyed it and I’m sure there are parts of the track where we can exploit the Ninja ZX-10RR’s strengths. Our target is to do the best we can. Obviously some podiums would be nice but we need to focus, work hard and the results will be a consequence of that. I’m excited to get back together with my crew.”
Axel Bassani, stated: “The test we had after Aragon was good. We tested something on the rear and the feeling was quite positive. The conditions were quite hot but the pace was not bad. But, tests are tests and race weekends are another thing. Now we head back to Estoril after two years and it is a good track. It’s generally a small track but there is a long front straight that for us is not usually the best. But we are ready for battle, ready to race and try to enjoy it.”
Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) will return to the fray at Estoril on his KRT-supplied Nina ZX-10RR machine, looking for more strong points scores. He is currently 20th in the championship with 16 points.
2024 KRT Rider WorldSBK Statistics
Alex Lowes:
2024: Races: 29, Wins 2, Podiums 11, Superpoles 1
Career Race Wins: 4 (3 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 45 (25 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 2 (1 for Kawasaki)
Axel Bassani:
2024: Races: 30, 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: 553 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 109 – second overall
#NinjaSpirit
#KRTNewStart2024