FIM Superbike World Championship
Balaton Park Circuit
WorldSBK - Hungary
Kawasaki Riders Show Strength Across All Classes at Balaton Park Circuit
Kawasaki’s full WorldSBK and WorldSSP lineup showcased competitive speed and continued progression at Balaton Park Circuit, highlighted by Jeremy Alcoba’s fourth-place WorldSSP Race 1 finish, Garrett Gerloff’s season-best fifth-place WorldSBK Race 2 result, and Alex Lowes’ sixth-place WorldSBK Race 1 performance for the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team. Across a demanding weekend in Hungary, all teams delivered flashes of front-running pace, valuable championship points, and continued development despite race incidents and technical setbacks. From Alcoba’s charge at the front in Supersport, to Gerloff’s breakthrough on the Ninja® ZX™-10RR, and Lowes’ continued Top 5 championship form, success was prominent throughout every class as the series heads to Autodrom Most with momentum building.
WorldSBK Results
Jeremy Alcoba
WorldSSP
“I am quite happy overall with the weekend. I think we did a really good job. I put all my efforts into being in front and fighting with the top guys. I think we did this, and the team did a really good job. It was a shame for the second race because we had a problem with the rear tire, which we need to analyze. We were still fighting with the leaders despite these problems. The speed is there, but for sure we are struggling in some parts of some corners, so we need to find something extra. But I am quite happy. I did my job, and I am happy with how things went over the weekend. We had an opportunity, but it was an unlucky day. I think in Most we can have a good weekend.”
Dominique Aegerter
WorldSSP
“We started from 19th place on the grid and gained one championship point for 15th place. We tried to improve and I gave my best, but we couldn’t improve the lap times in our gap to the front. We need to work hard, see the data, check where we can improve, and look forward to the next race. I hope we can find something better so I can ride in the race positions we should be in.”
Garrett Gerloff
WorldSBK
“I felt a lot better today than I did at Assen last time out. That was one of the worst weekends I have had, and it felt difficult to explain because I felt I was doing pretty well with my riding, and I felt the bike was working not too badly, but we seemed to have no speed all weekend. I was just scratching my head. It is so difficult as a rider not to think that ‘you are just slow now’. So it was nice to come here to Balaton, make changes, and every change we made was helping me feel better and better. To finish with a Top 5 in Race 2 was one of the best things I could do for the team and myself. It has given us a lot of motivation to stay strong for the rest of the season.”
Alex Lowes
WorldSBK
“Not the Race 2 that we wanted. This track is a bit special. It is not easy to pass and you need a good track position. I was really happy with the Superpole Race. We did a good job and even set our best lap of the weekend. In the final race, I made a good start and had a really good T1 and T2, in fourth place. This was the main job done, as it helps you with track position. Then, Baldassarri hit me and that put me out, so I lost five or six positions. We had made a change on the front of the bike, and I could see a few other riders going off the track, while I was stopping the bike quite well. I was just following Taz Mackenzie through the chicane at T9 and T10, and I think I misjudged his speed in the second apex. I was thinking of passing him in T10, but it completely caught me off guard. I hit the back of him with my hand and lost the front. That is hard to accept because I think we had a really positive weekend. I was maximizing the pace we had, making good starts, and I was getting myself in good positions. I think with the progress we made from Friday to Saturday to Sunday, it’s a shame to end this weekend with this race. Overall, I think how we did as a team was really good.”
Axel Bassani
WorldSBK
“It was quite a difficult Sunday for us. It started well in FP3, when I had a good pace. Also in the Superpole Race, my pace was really good, but it was nearly impossible for me to overtake the riders in front of me. When I had the possibility to be free, I was immediately in the 1:39.6 lap times. We know it is difficult for us to overtake, and we finished P15. In Race 2, from the warm-up lap, I had some issues with the front brake, a lot of vibration. I tried to do the first lap of the race, but it was also locking on the straight. It was dangerous for me and the other riders, so I decided to stop. This was really impossible to ride. We will try to recover this week and try to be more ready for the next round in Most.”
