Bimota team boss Guim Roda believes the Italian manufacturer has shown how quickly the team has put itself in “a good position” so early into the WorldSBK project.
Kawasaki partially bowed out of WorldSBK at the end of 2024 to focus its resources on Bimota, the Rimini-based manufacturer in which it holds a 49.9% stake, creating the new ‘Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team’.
With the team using a Kawasaki engine and a Bimota chassis, significant bike development has taken place, resulting in six podiums before the halfway mark of the project’s second year.
“I’m pleased that we’re able to hold our own against the other manufacturers,” stated Roda to Speedweek.
“Of course, we’re still behind Ducati. But when you consider how young our project is – we only started a little over a year ago – then we’re in a good position compared to Yamaha, Honda, and BMW.
“We’ve improved our understanding of the bike. We were also able to optimise small details.
“That helped us take a step forward. But it’s not as if we’ve made one big leap in any particular area. Instead, it was 20 small steps that, in total, add up to one big step.”
Since Bimota’s search for performance is still a relatively new undertaking, the Italian marque believes there is plenty of potential still to unlock from the Bimota KB998 Rimini.
“There are many areas. With the swingarm, there’s leeway regarding the pivot point and dimensions,” added Roda.
“There’s always some flexibility with the suspension components as well. Then there’s the electronics and the setup, where the triple clamp plays a crucial role.
“It’s all about the right balance and weight distribution of the motorcycle. You can work with the supplier on the rims.
“And the fairing also allows you to influence the aerodynamics – naturally, within the framework of the regulations.”
However, with the production-based series’ strict engine regulations, Roda made it clear that engine development will be much more difficult.
“The scope for improvement is decreasing step by step,” he admitted.
“We could optimize the engine relatively easily in some areas. But the rules prevent that.
“Therefore, we have to make do with the engine’s current performance.”
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