The 4.592km long Autodromo Internacional do Algarve circuit provided warm and dry conditions once again and hosted two more races that provided the usual high level of competition throughout the field. Race Two proved high winds that also changed direction and intensity at times.

In the ten-lap Superpole Race, started at an unusual 14.45 time slot, Lowes was a fine third after an intense competition that saw him miss out on the win by just 3.251 seconds. Bassani placed 12th in the ‘sprint’ race.

Race Two was started at 18.00 as part of a new Portimao schedule. Today that led to reduced track tempertures of 34°C for the riders to deal with.

Early in the 20-lap race Lowes led on two occasions, as he was involved in a multi-rider fight for the win. He was to have a dramatic moment on the main straight with eventual race winner, Toprak Razgatlioglu, who inadvertently clipped the rear of Alex’s machine and lost a part of his own bodywork.

After Alvaro Bautista fell from second position while chasing Razgatlioglu Alex kept third place for the final five laps and finished just over six seconds from the win.
  
Bassani’s final race of the weekend race saw him as high as tenth in the order and then as low as his eventual 15th place. Late in the race Axel developed significant back pain which affected his pace and therefore his final position.

Lowes’ two podiums on Sunday increased Kawasaki’s podium scoring total in WorldSBK to 551.

In the overall championship Razgatlioglu has 365 points, Niccolo Bulega 273, Alvaro Bautista 223 and Lowes 213. Although Alex remains fourth he is now only ten points from third place. Axel is 13th overall with 59 points.

The next round of the FIM Superbike World Championship - round eight of 12 - will take place in France, at Magny Cours, between 6-8 September.

Alex Lowes, stated: “Taking two podiums is a good way to finish the weekend in Portimao. The final race was really difficult. The wind was strong and changed direction, which made it quite difficult to ride. All my braking markers were completely out, because on one lap there was a strong wind and the next lap not as much. It was really difficult to judge. In my head I was thinking, ‘It’s the same for everybody, so relax and try to keep focused.’ On the front straight Toprak hit the back of my bike - I think he must have got sucked towards me in the slipstream - and lost one of his winglets. I tried to follow him for a couple of laps. Once I got into third place I just tried to manage the race. It was physical and difficult. But the bike was working really well, especially in the T6/T7/T8 section when the bike is easy to ride. I enjoyed it today and I think we had another good weekend. It is nice to see our consistency at so many tracks and I am looking forward to Magny Cours.”

Axel Bassani, stated: “It was a difficult Sunday in Portimao. During the Superpole Race we tried to recover some positions but it was not easy because everybody is fighting so hard. I did not have the possibility to go forward. In Race Two I was feeling good, especially in the first half of the race, and I recovered some positions. The pace was also similar to those at the front of the race. After that, I started to have some problems with my body, feeling a lot of pain on my back. In the last six laps I had to try and get to end the race but I was not feeling really well. I have to understand why now but the feeling with the bike was really good in Race Two.”

Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 16th in the Superpole Race and then 17th in Race Two. He is 20th in the championship standings.

2024 KRT Rider WorldSBK Statistics

Alex Lowes:
2024: Races: 21, Wins 2, Podiums 9, Superpoles 0
Career Race Wins: 4 (3 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 43 (23 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 1 (0 for Kawasaki)

Axel Bassani:
2024: Races: 21, Wins 0, Podiums 0, Superpoles 0
Career Race Wins: 0 (0 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 6 (0 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 0 (0 for Kawasaki)

8 x Riders’ Championships (Scott Russell 1993, Tom Sykes 2013, Jonathan Rea 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020), 1 x EVO Riders’ Championship (David Salom 2014)
6 x Manufacturers’ Championships (Ninja ZX-10R 2015 & 2016, Ninja ZX-10RR 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020)
5 x Teams’ Championships (KRT/Provec Racing 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019)

Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
Total Kawasaki Race Wins: 180 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Podiums: 551 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 108 – second overall

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