In Superpole qualifying, held in the morning before Race One started at 14.00 local time, Alex was finally ninth on the grid and Axel 16th. Alex had been third but was penalised for just grazing the track limits area, and therefore had to rely on his next best lap time, placing him at the end of the third row.
A good start saw Alex up to sixth position on lap one. Measured aggression in the next few laps took Alex into the podium places on lap 12.
He took over second place on the fourteenth lap and held that position to the flag, taking his fifth podium finish of the year and his fifth WorldSBK podium at his home venue of Donington Park.
Second place for Alex was, in fact, his strongest individual ride at Donington in WorldSBK, with all his previous podiums at his local circuit being third place finishes.
Axel had a tough job to do to try and make up places but he gained places in the early laps. He felt an unexpected lack of rear grip and would finish 12th in the race, having been as high as tenth on lap nine.
Late in the race rain clouds gathered overhead but they passed by without incident to ensure that all 23 laps of Race One were run in dry, if relatively cool, conditions.
On Sunday 14 July there will be a short warm-up session, a ten-lap Tissot Superpole Race and then a final full distance Race Two to complete the fifth round of the year.
Alex Lowes, stated: “I felt quite confident on Friday as the bike was working well, and in FP3 this morning we tried some race settings and my pace was strong right until the end of the session. In Superpole I was fast enough to be on the front row but I touched the track limits green paint into T9, with a qualifying tyre on the back. That was my mistake, but with that small difference it moved us from third on the grid to ninth. I thought that was maybe my chance of a good result gone but I tried to make a good start and stick in there near the front. It was not easy to pass so I was waiting for the guys in front to sort of make a mistake. Scott made one, I could pass, Bulega ran a bit wide and I went inside him. When I had clear track my lap times were fast, I was quite consistent but I was a bit concerned when Bautista was coming closer at the end, because we know how fast he at the end of races. I felt good, the bike felt good. The front end was moving a bit, so maybe we can improve on that for tomorrow. But I have to be happy with second today because Toprak was in a different race.”
Axel Bassani, stated: “There is not a lot to say because we struggled a lot in the race. In FP3 this morning it was not so bad. I do not know why but in Superpole we are always struggling. In the race, from the first lap, I was also struggling with the rear and felt very little grip. On the exit of corners and under braking. It was impossible to attack. It was not really fun to have a race like that, but I think we need to continue to push, to believe, and to stay positive that we can arrive at a good point. Congratulation to Alex on his podium finish.”
Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 20th on Superpole on his KRT-supplied Ninja ZX-10RR. He finished 17th in the opening race.
2024 KRT Rider WorldSBK Statistics
Alex Lowes:
2024: Races: 13, Wins 2, Podiums 5, Superpoles 0
Career Race Wins: 4 (3 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 39 (19 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 1 (0 for Kawasaki)
Axel Bassani:
2024: Races: 13, 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: 547 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 108 – second overall
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