FIM Superbike World Championship
Balaton Park Circuit
WorldSBK - Hungary
Lowes And Bassani Leave Balaton With Sixth-Place Finishes
Kawasaki’s riders faced a mix of challenges and solid results at the brand new Balaton Park round before the summer break. In WorldSBK, the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team riders Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani each claimed sixth-place finishes on Sunday. Lowes claimed his top results in Race Two and Bassani in the Superpole Race, adding to their points tally and maintaining consistent form heading into the September Magny Cours round. While Kawasaki WorldSBK Team's Garrett Gerloff fought through a back injury to finish ninth in Saturday’s Race One but was sidelined from Sunday’s races after further examination of his injury. In WorldSSP, Jeremy Alcoba’s weekend ended in misfortune when early contact in Race Two caused a crash, marking his first no-score of the year despite starting strong and earning points in Race One, keeping him eighth in the standings.
WorldSBK Results
Alex Lowes
“Two different races today. I missed an opportunity in the Superpole race. I should have been on slick tires, but we went with intermediates. I think on slicks those would have been my sort of conditions. It was our decision and we didn’t make the right decision. We had no chance really as the track was drying really fast. My pace in the longer race was good, but it was hard to pass on this track, in general. So, starting in 12th place on the grid was not the easiest thing. I think I was 14th on lap one. To finish sixth in the race was a good ride. I passed a few people and enjoyed the race. I rode the bike with settings that were quite a bit different from yesterday, so we could learn a bit more. That was quite good. First time here at Balaton and I enjoyed the track. It was constant work all weekend to try and get the bike to work better. I think I rode well and taking three finishes and some good information means we can have a few weeks off now and then prepare for the last races of the year.”
Axel Bassani
“We have reached the end of the first WorldSBK round in Balaton and it has been a good weekend. I have enjoyed the people around the track; they are really good fans. Also the track is quite nice. I think we did two good races today, in P6 and finally P9. With both Sunday race finishes inside the top ten, that is really good. We were not starting near the front, so we made a really good recovery. We had some hard times but in the end we finished in a good way. Thank you to the team for all the effort that they put in this weekend, trying to give me the best solution on track. Now we will have some rest and after that will come the last four rounds of the season.”
Garrett Gerloff
“In the end I am not too bad; it was just unfortunate. It would be tough to race today - I am not going to lie - but I had painkillers yesterday and that has made me unfit for Sunday’s races. But, I am OK; just beaten up and I am hurting pretty bad. But, we have a long time until the next round so I will be fine. I wish I was out there racing again today. Thank you to everybody for the messages and the support.”
Jeremy Alcoba
“It was a difficult weekend for us in Hungary as we did not find a good feeling at the end. We struggled a little bit in both races. Today I tried to be at the front early in the race. I did not make a good start but in the first corner I was lucky and went into P9. But on the second lap, another rider touched me and I crashed. We were unlucky. I tried to pick up the bike and make some laps to understand some things for the next races. I am happy for the information we took at the end but the weekend was not so good because now it is the summer break and we could not have a good result to enjoy. I will try to make a reset to be focused in the next one. Thanks to all the team for the effort and the work that they put in.”
