SBK, Lowes: "The rain prevented me from pushing, but the new features responded well."

The Bimota Kawasaki Racing Team ended the last European pre-season test - held at the Portimão track in Portugal - on a positive note before leaving for Phillip Island. In spite of weather that didn't help on the final day, Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani gathered useful information on the new KB998 Rimini. Above all, they made an impression with the English rider, first in the morning, then with the Italian rider, second in the afternoon, with just 29 thousandths behind the leader, Razgatlioglu.

"Despite the rain, the sensations were good. In the first half of the day, we worked on two or three runs with Bimota and Showa. We would've liked to have had a dry session to measure our speed, but the circuit conditions turned out to be imperfect because of many wet patches. In the end, the best time was in line with that of the first day so, clearly, we couldn't show our full potential. So far, we've worked well, but much remains to be done. It's comforting that the changes we've made so far have paid off. You always want to spend more time on the bike, especially when it's a new project, In any case, I felt at ease, and that's what counts as we head into the start of the championship," he commented.

"We had some parts to check, especially related to the chassis, and we got good feedback. We're still at the beginning of the development of this project but, all in all, it's going well. The times were good, and the pace on race tires was solid. For now, it made no sense to use the soft. In any case, Alex rode well and didn't encounter any problems," his crew chief, Pere Riba, added.

"On Tuesday, I was able to do a few laps in dry conditions, even if hsut partial, while the focus was mostly on the rear and on the Showa shock absorbers. We also did some testing with Bimota and were able to improve some areas. Because of the bad weather, we preferred not to ride today, since we had already done so yesterday in the rain," the Venetian rider said, analyzing the situation.

"We made the most of the four hours available and completed what we had to. Alex proved to be fast and consistent and is in great shape, both physically and mentally. The mood in the team is great," Marcel Duinker concluded.