FIM Superbike World Championship
Misano Adriatico RN
WorldSBK - Italy
Kawasaki Riders Build Momentum Across the Board at Misano
Kawasaki riders enjoyed another successful weekend at the Misano World Circuit 'Marco Simoncelli' for Round 7 of the FIM Superbike World Championship, collecting a race victory, multiple Top 5 finishes, and valuable championship points across all classes. David Salvador strengthened his title campaign in the new WorldSPB class with his second victory of the season, and extended his championship advantage. In WorldSBK, Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani continued to battle at the front, while Garrett Gerloff overcame a difficult qualifying session to add more points to the competition. In WorldSSP, Jeremy Alcoba charged from 19th on the grid to secure a Top 5 finish at the Kawasaki WorldSSP Team's home round, while Dominique Aegerter remained consistent with results to secure valuable points. As the season enters its summer stretch, Kawasaki riders remain firmly in contention across multiple championships.
WorldSBK Results
Alex Lowes
WorldSBK
“Obviously, this morning’s result was a shame, because I felt good in that race with an SCQ rear tire. This weekend, it seemed to really help the balance of the bike. It’s just one of those things, even if it’s a shame to lose fourth place. Race 2 was quite good and I had a positive start from 10th place. I had to drop one position, however, because Andrea [Locatelli] had passed Yari [Montella] at the start and I went past them. I thought it was okay, but then the officials gave me a drop one position signal. I lost quite a lot of time to drop behind them. Race 2 was hotter and I was struggling to stop the bike. The changes we made because of the issue this morning meant that the bike was working a bit differently. I also got a track limits warning early in the race, so I had to ride quite steadily. Fourth place was a solid result. In these hot and slippery conditions, it was not easy, but it was a solid weekend overall. It is a shame for Axel [Bassani] because he deserved a podium in Race 2 after how he was riding this weekend, but we are on the limit.”
Axel Bassani
WorldSBK
“This is racing sometimes, part of the game. It can be good and not good, but I think we have to be really happy about all the work we are doing. All weekend, we have been in the Top 5 or so. This morning, we had a really good Superpole Race, and this afternoon we were doing something special, I think. To stay inside the Top 3 in the middle of all the Ducatis is really hard to do. We were there, but I crashed in Turn 8. I was trying to stay consistent and control the gap between Yari [Montella] and myself, but I lost the front. I struggled all race with the front, and I was trying to control it, but in T8 the bike was just pushing too much in the last part of braking and this happened. But we have to be really proud and happy about the work we did at Misano.”
Garrett Gerloff
WorldSBK
“That was a difficult weekend. I really wish I could say that it wasn’t, but after crashing in the first lap of Superpole Qualifying and not having a time set, then starting from the back row of the grid, it made my life way more difficult than it should have been. I am really sorry to the team because this is their home round and they had all their sponsors here. There was a really cool atmosphere, and I hope everybody really enjoyed it, but I feel bad that we had one of our worst on-track weekends on the weekend that they all came along. I hope we can get back to our strongest form, like we had before, at Donington Park.”
Jeremy Alcoba
WorldSSP
“We finished Sunday with a really good result. I did not expect to finish fifth after how the rest of the weekend went, but I have to say thanks to Kawasaki and all the team, everybody is here, as I felt the support. It was very hot today, but I didn’t feel it because I was pushing and feeling quite good. I managed the hot temperature really well, while the others were struggling. I tried to ride really smoothly, and every lap I saw that I was catching the big group of riders. I found the right way to pass them. With two laps to go, I looked back and saw that we were finally a group of three riders. I said ‘OK, overtake one of the riders in front this lap and then one on the last lap’, which I did in the same corner. I felt really well in the Turn 14, and I made the same pass each time. I am very happy and I gave my all; more than 100%. Thanks to everybody, and on to the next one!”
Dominique Aegerter
WorldSSP
“The home race for the team is now complete and we are making some steps forward. We are getting closer to the front. I am getting a better feeling also, and I can adapt better to the bike now. I was 13th in that race, and that’s for sure not what we expect, or the result that we want to have. But, we were fighting close to the Top 5, and Jeremy [Alcoba] finished Top 5, so congrats to him. I had a little bit of bad luck in the last two laps, with two big hits from another rider, so I lost a few positions.”
