Lowes to remain with Kawasaki in 2024 WSBK season

The news of Lowes’ one-year contract extention was announced ahead of his home event at Donington Park on July 1-2, round six of 12 of the 2023 season.

Lowes joined Kawasaki during its dominant phase in 2020, winning on his debut weekend in Phillip Island and helping the brand secure the manufacturers’ title the same year.

On top of his victory in Australia, his Kawasaki stint has so far yielded 14 podiums and a best finish of sixth in the championship.

With six-time WSBK champion Jonathan Rea also contracted to the squad until 2024 after signing a two-year contract in the middle of last year, Kawasaki has become the first manufacturer team to lock in its riders for next season.

“I’m super excited to continue my relationship with Kawasaki into the 2024 WorldSBK season,” said Lowes 

“My motivation to achieve the best results possible on the Ninja ZX-10RR has never been stronger. The number one goal now is to focus on the remainder of the current season, starting with my home race weekend at Donington. 

“It is really nice to have confirmation that I will be racing with Kawasaki again ]is] agreed in time for my home round. I will enjoy it all the more because of that. 

“I want to offer a big thank you to everyone at KMC, KME and all the crew at KRT for their great support in the past and their continuing belief in me. I look forward to working alongside them again next season.”

Alex Lowes, Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Kawasaki has yet to register a win in the 2023 season amid a dominant showing from rival Italian marque Ducati and its star rider Alvaro Bautista, with Lowes sitting only ninth in the standings with a single podium finish after the opening five rounds of the season.

Rea holds fourth place in the standings, trailing not only Bautista – who has won all but one race so far this year – but also Yamaha duo Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andrea Locatelli.

Kawasaki admitted that Kawasaki’s lack of competitiveness meant it was Lowes’ decision whether he wanted to extend his stint with the Japanese marque or not.

Guim Roda, KRT Team Manager, added: “We are happy to keep Alex for the 2024 project and this gives us the stability we need in the current situation. 

“The question was not if KRT was willing to continue with Alex. The question was if Alex was willing to continue with KRT, knowing the reality of the rules situation and our current performance capacity. 

“We cannot offer a championship winning package if the rules don’t change. All the fans that understand a bit about racing can see this, and the only way to extract the maximum from our package is to use the experience and the brave riding of our riders. 

“Alex has the capacity to reach the required speed to try and work within that small window we have to perform at our best. Nobody in the world can doubt that Alex is always giving his best, and we have big respect for the effort he puts into it.