Bimota satisfied with Cremona test: A step closer to the podium?

The Superbike teams had set aside a day during the test in Cremona to prepare for the race weekend in two weeks’ time. This was because on Wednesday, the riders rode exclusively on Michelin tyres – the French manufacturer is set to supply the tyres for the production-based World Championship from next year. On Thursday, Pirelli tyres were used.

However, the afternoon session was called off due to rain. Only a few riders ventured onto the track in the adverse conditions to gain experience on a wet surface. Some teams therefore packed up early, including Bimota. In just three hours, Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani nevertheless completed 38 and 39 laps respectively and were satisfied with the insights they gained.

“It was fun to ride, and we’ve found a good direction for the first free practice session in a few weeks,” noted Lowes. “It was a positive test, and a big thank you to the team for their great effort in coming to this test straight after the race weekend at Magny-Cours. I really appreciate that. Let’s see if we can get a bit closer to the podium next time.”

So far in 2026, Lowes has only managed a top-three finish once – coming third in the Superpole Race at Phillip Island – with the competition from Ducati proving too strong this year. That same weekend, his Italian team-mate secured two second-place finishes. At the Cremona test, Bassani was marginally faster than the Englishman with a time of 1:29.262.

“It was good to get back on the bike after the race at Magny-Cours – it was a pretty difficult weekend,” said Bassani. “We were lucky to be able to do a few laps in dry conditions, as the weather took a turn for the worse and it started to rain around midday. But we were able to test various set-ups for the race in Cremona. It was only a short test, but the positive thing is that we were able to ride the circuit ahead of the race and can now focus on the race weekend in two weeks’ time.”