WorldSBK: Alex Lowes buzzing after ‘really positive’ Jerez test, ‘I did my best lap ever’

Lowes was testing alongside new team-mate Axel Bassani, who also enjoyed a very positive second test with the Japanese manufacturer.

Now spearheading the development of the ZX-10RR after the departure of Jonathan Rea, Lowes tested several new parts and was content with the results. 

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Lowes said: “I am really happy with today. Honestly, I have had so much fun riding the bike. After a tough end to the year, with injuries and not being able to finish the year like I wanted, it has been so positive to have a good test here. 

“Obviously the conditions in the winter in Jerez are good but I did my best ever lap around Jerez on race tyres, and quite a lot of fast laps. This was positive. 

“We also tried a lot of new parts, which was thanks to all the guys and Kawasaki for bringing new stuff to try. 

“The target for January is to put all the pieces together to find the best package for next year. This was a really, really positive test.”

For Bassani, the second outing at Jerez gave him the opportunity to adapt further to his new machine, after spending his first three seasons on a Panigale V4 R.

Bassani added: “We have just finished two days of testing and we tried a lot of things. We didn’t use an SCQ tyre, so we focused on the set-up of the bike and different things. 

“I am happy and we finished in a good way. We understood a good direction to go during the winter break. Test-by-test I started to feel really good with the bike. 

“It is not easy because it is completely different compared to my previous one, but now I am starting to feel good. 

“I am also happy with the team and the work we did. Now we have some time to rest and then start to think about next year."