MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

The news that Bimota is returning to WorldSBK in 2025 came as a surprise to the paddock. The withdrawal of Kawasaki as a full-factory effort from the series, after eight World Championships, blindsided many but what does it actually mean for the series?

In many ways it will be business as usual. Provec Racing, the Catalan team that has morphed into the Kawasaki Racing Team over the years, has been the factory supported squad for the championship since 2011. In that time the team, led by the Roda brothers, became the standard bearer of the series. This success culminated in Jonathan Rea’s unprecedented six titles in a row. Since 2021, though, the team and manufacturer have fallen on harder times.

Switching from Kawasaki to Bimota is a decision that has been a considerable time in the making. In 2019 Kawasaki Heavy Industries purchased Bimota. KHI is a massive company and their motorcycle division is a tiny part of a massive empire. With almost 40,000 employees KHI is involved in a myriad of industries including aeronautical, shipping, off-shore structures, rail and many more. Motorcycling is the part we care about but it’s only a small part of what makes that company tick.

Brand value

“Toprak tries things that seem to be impossible but he makes them possible,” said a smiling Michael van der Mark following the Catalunya Round of WorldSBK. It’s hard to argue with the BMW Motorrad rider because his teammate, Toprak Razgatlioglu, dominated the headlines at the second round of the 2024 WorldSBK season.

Smashing the lap record in Superpole was impressive. Taking two last lap victories was stunning and tallied into a weekend that BMW will never forget. Toprak was the top points scorer in Catalunya and has immediately proved himself as a title contender once again. Winning races on the Kawasaki in 2019 or the Yamaha for the last four years was meeting expectations, but to do so with BMW has left his rivals with furrowed brows.

Scott Redding, a title contender when he was racing with Ducati, has been left scratching his head. When Toprak was signed Redding commented that he didn’t think Toprak was a better rider. After Catalunya he had changed his view. Garrett Gerloff, a podium finished in Catalunya in the past, said that he was in awe of what Razgatlioglu has been able to do.

Rider and bike

It was only Van der Mark who had a strong weekend and it was his performance that really proved that BMW has made progress. Qualifying on the second row and coming away with fourth in Race 2 was a good showing from the Dutchman ahead of his home round.

The acquisition of Dorna by Liberty Media turns out to be a lot more interesting than expected. The purchase raised a lot of questions - not least, how they expect to get it past the regulators in a number of countries and territories. But it also provided a glimpse of what the future might look like for MotoGP, and how different it would be under new ownership.

First, the details of the purchase. You can read a summary and the press release in a story from earlier today, but the basics are this:

It is fitting that the world championship motorcycle racing season should open at the greatest racetrack on the face of the earth. Phillip Island never disappoints, and it is a source of eternal envy in the MotoGP paddock that it is World Superbikes that get to visit Phillip Island at the end of summer, when the weather is at its best, while MotoGP is left with the dregs of winter.

As wonderful as it is to see bikes on track at the world's greatest racetrack, Phillip Island is such a unique place that it is unwise to read too much into the results of the opening weekend of the World Superbike championship. Phillip Island is a riders' track, where bravery and talent count for more than having a perfect setup or a superior motorcycle. The rider can make up for a lot.

Throw in a new surface, and you muddy the picture even further. The new track was so much faster than the old surface that Pirelli was forced to introduce compulsory pit stops to change front and rear tires. Both outright and race lap records were demolished, the Superpole record by 1.3 seconds, the race lap record by 1.5 seconds. That is a lot more speed, and a lot more speed means a lot more stress on the tires. Despite pit stops and shortened races, tires at the end were looking very chewed up and right at the edge of endurance.

Jumping to conclusions

Honda came back to WorldSBK with much fanfare in 2020. They’ve never delivered on their investments but will that change in 2024? Steve English isn’t convinced

I’ve waited for the tide to turn on Honda’s fortunes in World Superbikes. They’ve invested so much resources into the project but ultimately they’ve had a disastrous time. Big name riders, Grand Prix riders, engineering talent brought from the Grand Prix paddock, a high revving engine...they’ve had all of these but delivered almost nothing.

It’s been a remarkably futile return on big hopes and even bigger budgets. Honda, for so long the name synonymous with winning, has been a WorldSBK also ran. Everyone in the paddock longs for that to change, even their rivals, but until results show some signs of life there’ll be scepticism.

Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge came to WorldSBK in 2022 as fresh-faced rookies. They were given a pass for any issues because as Grand Prix riders they had to adapt to a production machine. They’re now heading into their third seasons, and one podium each isn’t going to cut it going forward. They’ve been hamstrung by their bikes but they’ll know that they need to perform as much as Honda needs to up their game.

Follow my leader

It’s all change for Kawasaki in 2024 with Jonathan Rea having departed and a new structure left in his wake. Kawasaki dominated WorldSBK for the best part of a decade but now, as Steve English assesses, it would be easy to be left looking enviously at others

Unparalleled success brings with it impossible pressure. From 2012 onwards Kawasaki expected success. Race wins were the norm and even titles were almost guaranteed. That ship sailed over the last few years and now the Provec Racing run operation has been rebuilt for the 2024 season.

Losing their star rider Jonathan Rea meant that a rethink was in order. Alex Lowes retains his spot in the squad, but Axel Bassani brings in fresh eyes and a fresh attitude. The Italian isn’t in racing to make friends and that’s a good thing. His style has meant that he’s grudgingly respected by rivals. That hard-nosed approach might be what Kawasaki need in the post-JR age.

For 2024 the biggest change in Kawasaki isn’t the new regulations, although 500rpm and new crankshaft weights won’t do any harm. The biggest change is internal. The structure of the team remains the same, but with Lowes moving to Rea’s side of the garage the atmosphere is different. After four years with Marcel Duinker it will be a new sensation for Lowes to turn right upon entering the pit box and to see Pere Riba staring back at him waiting for feedback.

Taking the lead