Bimota has launched its 2026 WorldSBK season, revealing an updated livery which remains similar to that of 2025.
Bimota returned to WorldSBK last year with its new Kawasaki-powered KB998 bike replacing the out-dated Kawasaki ZX-10RR.
The KB998 took front row starts and four podium finishes in 2025. All of those rostrums were taken by Alex Lowes, who finished sixth in the final riders’ standings after a second impressive season working with Jonathan Rea’s former crew chief, Pere Riba.
Lowes remains on the team in 2026, as does Axel Bassani. Both riders are out of contract at the end of this season and potentially at risk if Bimota can attract a top-level talent – certainly a possibility given the progress it made in its first season.
The colours also remain largely the same this year as last, although the deep blue of 2025 is replaced by black this year. The red, white, and green remain.
Although it doesn’t have an all-new bike to develop for 2026, Bimota was still hampered by the lack of dry running in preseason testing, Lowes talking at the end of last season about the ideas he and his team had come up with during the season that they wanted to try to work on during the winter.
Both the Jerez and Portimao tests were washed out by rain, though. At the latter test, both Lowes and Bassani remained sidelined as all of Bimota’s running was completed by factory test rider Xavi Fores.
The final test of the winter is schedule for 16–17 February at Phillip Island, while the first round takes place at the same venue a on 20–22 February.
