Lowes Finishes Fifth in Final WorldSBK Race at Cremona

Alex Lowes secured fifth place in Race Two at Cremona, while Axel Bassani recovered to ninth as bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team heads into the final two rounds of the 2026 WorldSBK season.

Subscribe to our Instagram channel for the latest info and news!

Alex Lowes delivered the best result of the weekend for the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team (BbKRT) after finishing fifth in Race Two at the Cremona Circuit, while teammate Axel Bassani crossed the line in ninth as the 10th round of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) came to an end.

Following a challenging Saturday, the team made significant setup changes to the bimota KB998 Rimini ahead of Sunday’s races, allowing both riders to show improved pace and collect valuable championship points before the final two rounds of the season.

Lowes Improves with Revised Bike Setup

Sunday began with the ten-lap Superpole Race, where Lowes emerged as the leading BbKRT rider. Benefiting from a revised base setup introduced after Race One, the British rider finished sixth after a consistent performance in the sprint race.

Bassani’s Superpole Race, however, was compromised early when another rider forced him off the circuit on the second lap. Although he managed to rejoin the race, the short distance left little opportunity to recover positions, and he eventually finished 16th. The improvements made during the morning race gave the team confidence heading into the weekend’s final race.

Fifth Place Finish Caps Off Positive Sunday for Lowes

Race Two, held over 23 laps in warm afternoon conditions, saw Lowes continue using the updated setup from the Superpole Race. The changes proved effective as Lowes remained firmly inside the top five for most of the race.

Running comfortably in the group just behind the podium contenders, he maintained a consistent pace before crossing the finish line in fifth place to collect 11 valuable championship points.

It marked the strongest result of the weekend for the British rider and highlighted the progress made by the team throughout Sunday’s sessions.

Bassani Recovers to Ninth at Home Round

Bassani also enjoyed a much stronger final race after the disappointment of the morning sprint. The Italian rider showed competitive pace during the opening stages and battled with Garrett Gerloff before tyre grip gradually became an issue in the closing laps.

As both front and rear traction began to fade, Bassani was forced to manage the bike to the finish. Despite the late-race struggles, he secured ninth place and added more championship points during bimota’s home round in Italy.

Riders Reflect on Cremona Weekend

Lowes was pleased with the progress made after the team’s setup changes on Sunday.

“It was a better Sunday for us. We made a bigger change than we normally would between Race One and warm-up, and it felt really good. We stayed with that setup for Race Two and it worked well again. We were much closer to the Independent Ducatis, which was our target, and also closer to the front compared to yesterday. We made good progress, avoided mistakes, and enjoyed the final race at Cremona.”

Bassani admitted it had been a difficult weekend but remained optimistic heading into the final rounds.

“It was quite a difficult round overall. The Superpole Race was disappointing after being forced off the track, but in Race Two my feeling was much better in the early laps. I fought with Garrett Gerloff before I started struggling with front and rear grip towards the end. We still scored more championship points, and now we’ll focus fully on the last two rounds. We’re very close to sixth in the standings, so we’ll give our maximum.”

Championship Battle Continues

After ten of the 12 rounds in the 2026 WorldSBK season, Lowes remains fourth in the championship standings with 226 points. Bassani sits seventh overall with 184 points and is only nine points behind sixth place, leaving plenty to fight for in the remaining six races of the season.

The championship now heads into its final stretch with two consecutive race weekends. Estoril will host the penultimate round from 9-11 October before the 2026 season concludes at Jerez from 16-18 October.