Outspoken ahead of Donington Park

WorldSBK’s media day in the United Kingdom meant there’s no such thing of enjoying silence, and we just can’t get enough of straight-talking wagging tongues ahead of action igniting

The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s media day on Thursday at the Donington Park circuit in England, UK, was a hive of activity. Situated in the rolling hills of the English countryside and a stone’s throw from the historic city of Nottingham, it’s back to WorldSBK’s roots, as it was the first track we ever visited in 1988. However, 35 years later, strong declarations continue off-track as well as on it. From this part of England, Robin Hood – as legend has it – was the highly skilled archer and swordsman, but who will hit the target of their battles this weekend?

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “I’m full of optimism… we were able to understand new items”

“I’m full of optimism; we’ve had good results at Donington Park in the past and coming here after a test last week at Aragon, where we were able to understand some new items and keep working on our pace in the hotter conditions. I’m looking forward to the weekend, they’ve resurfaced the circuit which could throw some curveballs. It sounds like the grip level is very high but the surface is also very abrasive, but we’ll work like normal on Friday. We’ve always been able to get away with the softer tyre here at Donington Park with the SCQ and SCX but we need to understand tyre choice too. It’ll be a busy day tomorrow. The test was split in two parts; we tried some new electronics items that we can use straight away and other items that we might not see but can be used by KMC to develop in the future. Alex has been an amazing teammate, we’ve battled on track very hard – recently at Mandalika – and he always gives 110%. He’s a great team player and the atmosphere is good. For me, it was normal that he continues and it’s nice now it is official.”

Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “Time is running out on what I will do”

“Last year, Donington Park was good for me and in the past, it’s been a great place to come. I always enjoy coming here in front of the home fans. I’d like to think we can be better here, but the new track surface has a play in it. We need to put our feet back on the ground and understand where we are, where we’re going and what we’re doing. If the circuit has the history it had, it should favour us, which would be nice. But this year, the level has stepped up a little bit and we’ve struggled to make that next little step. Here’s a bit of a reset for us, we can start with a fresh feeling.

“With 2024, there’s no news for what’s going on, I just want to focus on what I’m doing this weekend. We’ll see after here a bit more what’s going on, but time is running out on what I will do. You have to keep waiting for the moment. My priority is to continue in World Superbike but I’m looking in every area and at every option, like a lot of riders do, whether that’s here or somewhere else. I would like to continue with BMW, that is more of a priority that I have. I feel like we can make it happen but it’s a hard time for me to be thinking about what the potential is. I need to believe in the project like they’ve believed in me, and I just think that this weekend, having a reset and regroup and to understand a bit more, will help me make some decisions for the future.”

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “From my first time here 20 years ago, I loved it”

“We arrive at Donington Park and maybe it’s been a difficult race for us in the past. Every year is different, and anything can happen. I’m looking forward to this weekend. The track has been resurfaced; the layout is amazing; it’s one of the best tracks in the world. From my first time here 20 years ago, I loved it. It’s a track that with Ducati, I’ve never enjoyed as others, I look forward to trying to have a good feeling that we had in the first rounds of the season. The test was two days with a lot of fun on the bike. I had really good feedback and I could adapt very quickly to a MotoGP™ style with the engine, the power, the brakes, the tyres and the frames; they’re very different to WorldSBK. The feeling with bike was really good. At the moment, there is no plan for the future. I’ve requested that Ducati change some items on the bike specifically for my ergonomics because I felt the bike was a bit big for me. I don’t know if Ducati made this change, but maybe we can re-test and try again to see If I can feel even better.”

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “I’m really happy to continue with Kawasaki… there’s a lot of good things coming”

“I’m really happy to continue with Kawasaki into 2024. This season has not been as good as we wanted. Kawasaki have set themselves some pretty high standards in WorldSBK. We’ve had some big competition from the other teams in the last couple of years. We’re in the process now of trying to get back there. I was really happy with the offer from Kawasaki for one more year and it’s an easy decision to make. Although we’re not winning races, and I’ve made some mistakes this year, I’m close to Jonny and I feel like I’m riding very well and enjoying it. I’m working well with the team. It’s never 100% what it seems from the outside. There’s a lot of good things coming; we know it’s not going to be easy to turn this season around too much but it’s my home round this weekend and a perfect place to announce next year and try to challenge for the podium.”

Iker Lecuona (Team HRC): “My manager has spoken with a few teams”

“Honestly, I know my manager has spoken with a few teams or people. I don’t know anything. My manager’s coming here again to keep talking. For now, nothing is closed and I cannot say anything. I’d like to say it’ll be a bit better than last year, but the reality is we are in the same position. They resurfaced the track. I heard something that the new asphalt wears the tyres more and we have a lot of problems with this, so we need to check how we feel on the bike and how it affects tyre life.”

Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team): “We’ve been making big progress… I’m hoping we can make a real big step”

“I am super excited and looking forward to coming to Donington Park. We’ve been working in a good way with the Motoxracing team. We’ve been making some big progress so, I’m hoping, this weekend, we can make a real big step forward. I enjoy Donington and I’ve had some success here in BSB. I’ve got a lot to learn and to prove to Motoxracing and Yamaha. I want to go about my business this weekend, do the best job I can at my home round, for the fans and my family and friends that are coming. Hopefully, we can use this weekend as a steppingstone and use it to carry me on for the rest of the season.”

Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “In a dream scenario, the idea would be to add to the podiums.

“I’m always excited to go racing. Coming here to Donington, it helps a little bit because I’ve had some success here in the past. It’s a home round, we’ve had some fantastic weather and hopefully if that continues, we’ll be in for a great weekend. The circuit’s been resurfaced so it’ll be interesting to see the lap times. My target is to add to the success. That would be plan A. In a dream scenario, the idea would be to add to the podiums. That’s the target and we’ll work towards it. The lap times are certainly much faster. We’ve all been having a little prediction for the WorldSBK riders and if we’re getting around in the prediction times, it’s going to be fast!”

Lowes Continues His Kawasaki Journey In 2024

Popular Kawasaki Racing Team rider Alex Lowes will remain an official Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship competitor next season, having re-signed with KRT shortly before his home round at Donington Park.

Lowes has been a full-time WorldSBK rider since 2014, one year after winning the British Superbike Championship. At the start of his national level career in his native UK, during the 2005 season, Alex rode 125GP machines, then enjoyed a season in British Supersport before eventually stepping up to a bigger stage near the end of 2008.

He scored an instant podium in the intensely competitive European Superstock 600 championship with the O Six Kawasaki team, before graduating to the Stock 1000 championship in 2009. Alex then moved back to the UK scene for the 2010 season, riding a variety of machinery. Building pace and confidence after entering the Superbike class in 2011, Alex also rode as a wild card in four WorldSBK races that season. Lowes rose to the status of British Superbike champion in 2013, winning a close fight with Shane Byrne.

He made the transition to WorldSBK at good pace, securing two podiums and two fastest laps in his first season. A change of manufacturer inside WorldSBK saw him prove his capabilities as he grew in experience. His first race win came at Brno in the Czech Republic, in 2018. Lowes was also an important part of the riding line-ups that won the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours race for three years in succession between 2016-2018.

Moving to KRT alongside the WorldSBK racing phenomenon that is Jonathan Rea in 2020, Alex rocked the whole WorldSBK world by winning the final race of his first competitive Kawasaki weekend, at Phillip Island in Australia – shortly before the global pandemic arrived to change the racing landscape for all. Alex has continued to score podiums and overcome periods of injury, making his re-signing with KRT for 2024 a popular and positive decision.

Lowes is now able to focus on the second half of the 2023 WorldSBK season safe in the knowledge that his immediate future is not only secure but continues inside the Kawasaki family he has been an integral part of.

Alex Lowes, stated: “I’m super excited to continue my relationship with Kawasaki into the 2024 WorldSBK season. My motivation to achieve the best results possible on the Ninja ZX-10RR has never been stronger. The number one goal now is to focus on the remainder of the current season, starting with my home race weekend at Donington. It is really nice to have confirmation that I will be racing with Kawasaki again agreed in time for my home round. I will enjoy it all the more because of that. I want to offer a big thank you to everyone at KMC, KME and all the crew at KRT for their great support in the past and their continuing belief in me. I look forward to working alongside them again next season.”

Guim Roda, KRT Team Manager, stated: “We are happy to keep Alex for the 2024 project and this gives us the stability we need in the current situation. The question was not if KRT was willing to continue with Alex. The question was if Alex was willing to continue with KRT, knowing the reality of the rules situation and our current performance capacity. We cannot offer a championship winning package if the rules don’t change. All the fans that understand a bit about racing can see this, and the only way to extract the maximum from our package is to use the experience and the brave riding of our riders. Alex has the capacity to reach the required speed to try and work within that small window we have to perform at our best. Nobody in the world can doubt that Alex is always giving his best, and we have big respect for the effort he puts into it. We don’t have time to teach young riders how to ride the bike, as some people in the paddock suggested we do. Now is the time to continue working hard and with a stable base, to take out the variables and focus on what we really know to improve our bike and make a real ‘team job.’ Alex and Johnny are competitors with each other but they are very professional and work well together. They have respect for each other and know how to extract 110% from our bike to make the best show possible. We have a lot of jobs to do now, so let’s create calm in the project by choosing the two best riders, then we can focus on working as hard and as well as possible.”

Steve Guttridge, Race Planning Manager, Kawasaki Motors Europe stated: “This is great news for Alex and for Kawasaki. We are delighted he is continuing to help develop the Ninja ZX-10RR race package and, alongside Johhny and the KRT family, this signifies an exciting next step for everyone involved. Alex is a proven race winner on the Ninja and we are as keen as he is to see him on the podium across the remainder of 2023 and across 2024. I join the fans globally in wishing him good fortune in this next phase of his career.”