Qatar – Losail – Alex Lowes will ride with – against! – Rea in the Kawasaki team in WSBK 2020 – Used KAWASAKI YAMAHA

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Alex Lowes will ride with – against! – Rea in the Kawasaki team in WSBK 2020

Qatar - Losail - Alex Lowes will ride with - against! - Rea in the Kawasaki team in WSBK 2020 - Used KAWASAKI YAMAHA

We do not completely change a winning team: after Tom Sykes and Leon Haslam, Alex Lowes will have the honor – horror, woe ?! – to team up with Jonathan Rea in 2020 within the Kawasaki Racing Team. Will the English n ° 22 be able to overthrow the "Number One" of the category … or replace it in the longer term? ?

The seasons follow and are similar in World Superbike: for five years, riding the factory Kawasaki ZX-10R, allowing his employer to dominate "his" premier class. As a reminder, the Greens deserted MotoGP ten years ago !

  • MNC special file :
  • World Superbike 2019 :

If the 2019 constructor title remains to be confirmed for the Akashi company (611 points on the clock before the grand final in Qatar, against 574 for its main rival Ducati), the official Kawasaki team was crowned, best Superbike team for the fifth consecutive year. But the KRT intends to "pass the six" in 2020…

Unlike the constructor championship where each brand earns the same number of points as its best representative in each race, the – unofficial – team competition cannot be won by a single driver. Hence the need for Kawa to field a solid second driver! Besides the fact of course to compensate for an extremely rare poor performance of Johnny, or to ensure the interim in case of injury…

Tom "" Sykes then Leon "" Haslam: since joining Kawasaki in 2015, Jonathan Rea has always driven alongside very experienced riders … but always less efficient than him too! Next year, the "Number One" might be challenged more.

Qatar - Losail - Alex Lowes will ride with - against! - Rea in the Kawasaki team in WSBK 2020 - Used KAWASAKI YAMAHA

Despite a convincing return to the world level – if not sparkling – Leon Haslam has not been renewed for the 2020 season. This is not at all a surprise for the "Pocket Rocket" which was to give way to the within the official Kawa team to the rising star of the WSBK, the young Toprak Razgatlioglu (23 years old today, "doğum gunun kutlu olsun"!).

But against all odds, the pilot if the grass is more there green. In doing so, Kenan Sofuoglu’s colt dislodged Alex Lowes from his comfortable – and increasingly enviable – place within the official Yamaha Pata team. But the English n ° 22 did not go long without handlebars.

Qatar - Losail - Alex Lowes will ride with - against! - Rea in the Kawasaki team in WSBK 2020 - Used KAWASAKI YAMAHA

Largely dominated by his teammate and buddy Michael van der Mark during the 2018 season, Alex Lowes has progressed a lot this year, to the point of appearing in the final of the WSBK 2019 – in less than two weeks in Qatar -, with a point more that VDM precisely … and six more than a certain Razgatlioglu !

Whether he finishes third or fifth in the 2019 Superbike World Championship, Alex will have had his best season in WSBK, riding an increasingly sharp R1. In addition to this splendid year, his three victories at the Suzuka 8 Hours earned him his surprise nomination alongside Jonathan Rea, at the helm of the best machine on the grid..

Qatar - Losail - Alex Lowes will ride with - against! - Rea in the Kawasaki team in WSBK 2020 - Used KAWASAKI YAMAHA

Aside from Jerez where he got knocked out on the last corner of the last lap of the first run by Jonathan (sic!), Alex has consistently maintained himself in the Top 5 every weekend, even climbing seven new podiums. (18 in all in World Superbike)…

On the other hand, the English n ° 22 never left victorious of an event (in total of the three races) and did not win a victory this year, unlike Van der Mark, best "scorer" in Jerez and victorious of the second round on the same Andalusian circuit. To continue his progression in the world "charts", Andrew Pitt’s protege might have had an interest in changing his mount.

Qatar - Losail - Alex Lowes will ride with - against! - Rea in the Kawasaki team in WSBK 2020 - Used KAWASAKI YAMAHA

The 2020 season promises to be thrilling for Lowes as he will ride with, or rather against, the five-time world champion. Will the English n ° 22, who has only beaten the "Number One" in the category this year (in the Superpole race at Misano), be able to beat him on equal terms? Could he even dethrone him ?

By hiring Lowes, Kawasaki sees a little further: the director of the racing department at Kawasaki Europe sees this 27-year-old English driver as the ideal replacement for the soon-to-be 33-year-old Northern Irish champion (on February 2). Who knows how long the ruthless "JR" will continue to – want – to collect world crowns, with or without Kawa for that matter. !

Statements: Leon Haslam leaves KRT

Qatar - Losail - Alex Lowes will ride with - against! - Rea in the Kawasaki team in WSBK 2020 - Used KAWASAKI YAMAHA

"" KRT and KHI welcomed Leon to the team after a nine-year stint with Tom Sykes. It was a perfect opportunity for him to regain some experience in the WorldSBK paddock, and an encouragement after winning the British Superbike title and the Suzuka 8 Hours. One of the main goals for Leon in 2019 was to experience the KRT way of working and take its racing pace and performance to a new level, with Suzuka in the sights for example. Winning these 8 Hours in 2019 with Jonathan Rea, after 25 years of waiting for Kawasaki, was certainly an incredible achievement in addition to these regular Top 5 in WorldSBK, including several visits to the podium. Having achieved all of this despite three years away at the world level is a testament to Leon’s skill as a driver, especially since he suffered injuries this year, many of which have not been apparent but certainly did not curb his thirst for success. I hope Leon can stay with the Kawasaki family for 2020 and use his KRT experience on the factory machine to achieve even more success and participate in the Suzuka 8 Hours again. Everyone at KRT wishes Leon good luck ".

Steve Guttridge, Director of Kawasaki Europe Racing:

“It was only fitting that the 2018 British Superbike champion continued his momentum by riding a season at KRT. At Kawasaki, we are proud of his achievements on the Ninjas and we wish him the best for the next phase of his incredible career".

Statements: Alex Lowes hired for 2020

Qatar - Losail - Alex Lowes will ride with - against! - Rea in the Kawasaki team in WSBK 2020 - Used KAWASAKI YAMAHA

Guim Roda, team director:

"The KRT welcomes a 27-year-old driver who combines a lot of pace and a lot of experience. Our goal is to ‘polish’ Lowes and try to make him a title contender too. And he has a long career ahead of him. . He has shown very good skills over the past few years and he is sure the potential is there. We will try to use all the tools at our disposal at KRT to help him perform at his best. ".

Steve Guttridge, Director of Kawasaki Europe Racing:

“Everyone at Kawasaki welcomes Alex, who will join the Kawasaki Racing Team for next season in WorldSBK, alongside the greatest champion of all time, Jonathan Rea. Alex is known to be a hard worker and shows 100% commitment on every race. This attitude, combined with his talent and the pleasure he gets from doing his job, means we are very confident: with the excellent staff at KRT and on the Ninja ZX-10RR will be the start of a very exciting new era for all ".

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