Left : A tyre change practice session . Right : Many of the teams had markers on the ground to show where they wanted their rider to put their front tyre when they came in for wheel swap .
KRT ( Kawasaki Racing Team ) for the new season , but with the slight twist that the team is now ‘ Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team ’ and whilst the Bimota KB998 Rimini bikes were Kawasaki powered , everything about the outfit screamed out Bimota ; gone is Kawasaki green to be replaced by a white , red and black livery which is a little bland but perhaps has some echoes of colours Bimota has been associated with in the past . Kawasaki has a 49.9 % stake in Bimota and it ’ s a brand they want to push back into the exotic end of the mainstream , so the collaboration makes sense from a marketing perspective but would they put in performances that are worthy of the marque ? Former World Supersport champion Andrea Locatelli and six-times WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea continue with the PATA Maxus
Yamaha factory outfit but the platform is getting old and it ’ s hard to see what development gains can still be extracted from it . But both are fine riders and can be expected to feature strongly in some races if not the championship chase . Honda hasn ’ t had a great run in WorldSBK for the last few ( a lot ) of years but there were signs towards the end of last season that perhaps progress was being made . Rather than shake up the rider line up , they ’ re sticking with the injuryprone Iker Lecuona , alongside Xavi Vierge for 2025 , both quick riders who have more to give if the bike improves .
INDEPENDENT TEAMS Top performers in the 2024 independent riders ’ championship were both Ducati-mounted ; fan favourite Danilo ‘ Petrux ’ Petrucci on the Barni Spark machine and Andrea Iannone riding for
Sprint Race Trophies Presented to Petrucci , Iannone and Bulega by Carl Cox .
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