After 25 years away from competition, Bimota will return to international motorcycle racing in 2025 and has entered the FIM WorldSBK, the Superbike World Championship — the premier racing class for production-based motorcycles.
According to the regulations, Superbikes are road-legal, fully faired 1000cc sport motorcycles. The championship has been held since 1988. Separate world titles are awarded to riders and manufacturers. The first race of the series took place on April 3, 1988, at Donington Park in England. Bimota claimed victory in that inaugural race with Italian rider Davide Tardozzi.
The Bimota team will compete as the “bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team.” Kawasaki has held a stake in Bimota since 2019 and competed in the WorldSBK with its own machines from 1988 through the 2024 season. Between 2012 and 2020, Kawasaki secured seven world titles, including six consecutive championships from 2015 to 2020 with Jonathan Rea. The team will enter the season with the KB998 Rimini, unveiled in October 2024.
Three races are held at each of the 12 race weekends. The two main races last approximately 30 minutes, while the Superpole race covers half the distance. The first race takes place on Saturday. On Sunday morning, the Superpole race determines the starting grid for Race 2. The second main race is held on Sunday afternoon.
In the two main races, points are awarded to the top 15 riders. The winner receives 25 points, second place earns 20, third place 15, and so on down to one point for 15th place. The points system is as follows: 25, 20, 15, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. In the Superpole race, 12 points are awarded to the winner, 9 for second, 7 for third, followed by 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point for positions 4 through 9.
After several top-ten finishes in the first five races, Alex Lowes makes a strong statement at Bimota’s home round in Misano by finishing second in the Superpole race. In the ninth race of the season at Magny-Cours, he delivers his best performance to date, finishing third in all three races of the weekend and securing three podium results.
At the end of the season, Alex Lowes finishes sixth and Axel Bassani tenth in the World Championship standings. For a debut season, this is a highly respectable result, largely attributable to the chassis performance of the Bimota KB998. In terms of top speed, however, there is still room for improvement compared to BMW and Ducati.
| Date / Race | Track | Country | Placement Alex Lowes # 22 | Placement Axel Bassani # 47 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.02.2025 Race 1 | Phillip Island | Australien | 8 | 9 |
| 23.02.2025 Superpole | Phillip Island | Australien | 7 | 9 |
| 23.02.2025 Race 2 | Phillip Island | Australien | 8 | 10 |
| 29.03.2025 Race 1 | Portimao | Portugal | – | 9 |
| 30.03.2025 Superpole | Portimao | Portugal | 13 | 11 |
| 30.03.2025 Race 2 | Portimao | Portugal | – | 7 |
| 12.04.2025 Race 1 | Assen | Niederlande | 11 | – |
| 13.04.2025 Superpole | Assen | Niederlande | 11 | 12 |
| 13.04.2025 Race 2 | Assen | Niederlande | 6 | 5 |
| 03.05.2025 Race 1 | Cremona | Italien | 11 | 9 |
| 04.05.2025 Superpole | Cremona | Italien | 12 | 18 |
| 04.05.2025 Race 2 | Cremona | Italien | 11 | 15 |
| 17.05.2025 Race 2 | Most | Tschechien | 4 | 12 |
| 18.05.2025 Superpole | Most | Tschechien | 7 | 18 |
| 18.05.2025 Race 2 | Most | Tschechien | 15 | 6 |
| 14.06.2025 Race 1 | Misano | Italien | 4 | – |
| 15.06.2025 Superpole | Misano | Italien | 2 | – |
| 15.06.2025 Rennen 2 | Misano | Italien | 14 | 12 |
| 12.07.2025 Rennen 1 | Donington Park | England | – | 16 |
| 13.07.2025 Superpole | Donington Park | England | – | 14 |
| 13.07.2025 Race 2 | Donington Park | England | – | 16 |
| 26.07.2025 Rennen 1 | Balaton Park | Ungarn | 6 | 10 |
| 27.07.2025 Superpole | Balaton Park | Ungarn | 12 | 6 |
| 27.07.2025 Race 2 | Balaton Park | Ungarn | 6 | 9 |
| 06.09.2025 Race 1 | Magny Cours | Frankreich | 3 | 7 |
| 07.09.2025 Superpole | Magny Cours | Frankreich | 3 | 8 |
| 07.09.2025 Race 2 | Magny Cours | Frankreich | 3 | 12 |
| 27.09.2025 Race 1 | Aragon | Spanien | 5 | 8 |
| 28.09.2025 Superpole | Aragon | Spanien | 6 | 11 |
| 28.09.2025 Race 2 | Aragon | Spanien | 5 | 9 |
| 11.10.2025 Race 1 | Estoril | Portugal | 5 | 11 |
| 12.10.2025 Superpole | Estoril | Portugal | 15 | 8 |
| 12.10.2025 Race 2 | Estoril | Portugal | 4 | 8 |
| 18.10.2025 Race 1 | Jerez | Spanien | 6 | 11 |
| 19.10.2025 Superpole | Jerez | Spanien | 5 | 10 |
| 19.10.2025 Race 2 | Jerez | Spanien | 6 | 10 |