Alex Lowes 2021 at the Circuito de Cataluña in Montmeló, near Barcelona – here the first test will continue on March 31st, in which almost all WSBK and WSSP 600 teams will probably take part (© Kawasaki Racing Team).

Kawasaki team with day trip for extra test by Alex Lowes!

Because Alex Lowes was recently unable to attend a training session (not testing on the Kawasaki) when teammate Rea took to the track due to his bruised shoulder, he is now receiving a “Jerez-Extrawurst”. You can look at it on the map. We have been to Andalusia often enough to be in Jerez and of course Barcelona. The distance from the KRT headquarters near Barcelona to Jerez is exactly the same as if you were driving to Freiburg im Breisgau in southwest Germany for the test of the Englishman! This is only for the purpose of allowing Alex to “warm up” before the Barcelona test. We are talking about a day’s journey by car or even more so with the team truck with a driving time of no less than 11 hours.

Alex Lowes photographed by us in Phillip Island 2020 in front of Maximilian Scheib (both Kawasaki) in the Superpole. The fast Englishman has already been written off by many journalists (usually reporting from home) after the tests and training before the 1st race. After the first weekend it became clear how wrong they were all before, because he traveled back to Europe as World Cup leader.

Guim Roda, KRT-Teammanager, stated: „We did not originally plan to have this Jerez test but because Alex could not make the previous one we agreed to join with HRC for two days, to give him the opportunity to set some laps and get into his rhythm for the next big tests at Montmelo. He has been working for the past months to get strong in his shoulder after his little flat track training crash; taking the time to make sure the shoulder recovers well. It simply takes time to make sure all the ligaments and muscles are in good condition. .”

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki ZX-10RR) receives a special assignment from his team before he goes to Barcelona for the big test for the Englishman (© Kawasaki Racing Team).

Roda continues to the extra test ofAlex Lowes: “The weather looks like it is going to be with us so let’s hope we can make a successful test together. Johnny will not ride at Jerez this time as we have a test ban limitation of ten days per rider. We already have some information with him from Jerez, so he will stay in Barcelona, training for the Montmelo tests at the end of this month.“

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki) in front of Leon Haslam (HRC Honda) and Tom Sykes (BMW) – Next week they will be able to practice together on the track before all WSBK teams are expected at the Barcelona Test from March 31st to April 1st (© Kawasaki Racing Team).

BMW is also expected at the HRC test in Jerez

In Andalusia, besides organizer HRC Honda with Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK and its riders are also expected. With around 20 degrees Celsius and sunshine on the Circuito de Jerez, the conditions should be excellent. At the moment, the prognosis for the Barcelona Test looks a little less favorable. But if it is a bit colder but stays dry, nobody should complain about the weather in Catalonia. Tom Sykes just announced that BMW will be testing in Jerez next week, see our report on his interview from March 18th on this page. In any case, it’s good to see Alex again with the other guys on the track. After his flat-track fall, he was sometimes written off by the press as half-dead, which of course was absolute nonsense.

Alex Lowes (left on the Pata Yamaha, in front of Melandri) and his look at Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) photographed by us in BuriRam Thailand in 2019 before the start. A year later, the two leading teammates became. Kawasaki is doing something for Lowes that he would probably never have dreamed of at Yamaha.

Alex Lowes to his extra test in Jerez de la Frontera in calendar week 12: “I can’t wait to get back on the bike. It’s been a tough few weeks, with my arm in a sling for four of them, but I’m working hard to build the muscles back around my shoulder. Luckily I’ve been in Barcelona and spending a lot of time with the team and all the mechanics. Now we just want to be back at the track preparing for the 2021 season together. It’s going to be fun! Our main target is to continue our program from the November tests.“