Alex Lowes extends contract with Kawasaki WSBK

Alex Lowes will remain with the Kawasaki Racing Team in World Superbikes to the end of 2023 after signing a new two-year deal with the factory team.

The 30-year-old Brit inked the new deal at the Assen WSBK round on 23-25 July, witnessed by Masatoshi Yoshioka, Director of Corporate Planning Division, Kawasaki Motors Europe.

The twin brother of Moto2 rider Sam Lowes, Alex made his WSBK debut in 2011, then joined the championship full-time in 2014. His first two seasons were on the Suzuki GSX-R1000 for Crescent Suzuki before switching to the factory Yamaha team in 2016.

In four seasons on the YZF R1, Lowes achieved one race win and 16 podiums, with a best championship placing of third in 2019 before the switch to KRT for 2020.

On the Kawasaki ZX-10RR, Lowes took one race win and three other podiums in last year’s COVID-interrupted season, with four podiums in the 2021 season at time of writing.

“I am really happy to have signed once more with the Kawasaki Racing Team, the most successful team in the current era of WorldSBK,” Lowes said.

“It has been slightly frustrating this year, because I feel like we started strongly but the results are not quite where we would want them to be right now. We have a lot of potential and I am still in the top four of the championship, close to the top three, which is the target for this year.

“I am really thankful to stay in the team and proud of the faith that Kawasaki has shown in me. In our job, there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes than the results that you see on the track, so I am really happy about this new deal with KRT.”

On the other side of the KRT garage, six-time WSBK Champion Jonathan Rea remains on an undefined “long term” deal signed last year and seems likely to continue in Superbikes, despite recent speculation linking him to a MotoGP ride.

Photos: KRT, GeeBee Images and Mike Ryan