BbKRT regulars Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani will approach the French round fresh after such a long break in race action since Donington Park in early mid-July. They have also had the chance to get to speed again after completing a one-day test at the Spanish circuit of Navarra last week.

In the second season of competition for the combination of the BbKRT team, the bimota KB998 Rimini and both riders, podium success has been achieved. As it stands after eight of the scheduled 12 rounds, Lowes is fourth overall in the championship standings and Bassani sixth, making them the two highest-ranked non-Ducati riders. Alex has 182 points and Axel 153.

Last season Alex had a particularly fruitful time at the classic Magny-Cours layout, taking three third-place finishes on the KB998 Rimini. Axel has recorded two of his eight career podium scores at Magny-Cours, both in the 2022 season when he was an Independent Team rider.

On Friday, 4 September, the Magny-Cours round will get underway with two Free Practice sessions, followed on Saturday by a short FP3 session, and then Superpole Qualifying. The first race of the weekend, over a scheduled 21 laps, will complete Saturday’s action. Sunday, 6 September, will feature a short morning warm-up session, the traditional ten-lap Superpole Race, and then a 21-lap Race Two.

After the French race weekend, WorldSBK moves on to the second Italian venue on the 2026 campaign trail, at the Cremona Circuit, with round ten taking place between 25 - 27 September.

Alex Lowes, stated: “Magny-Cours is always a track that I enjoy; the bike goes well there, and in the last couple of years, I have been quite strong there. I try not to go with too much expectation because there have been tracks where last year we were fast and this year the pace, especially from the Ducatis, has made a big step forward, and it has stretched the field. So I am going to try to go with an open mind, work hard on Friday, manage the weekend the best we can, and the target is always to fight for the podium. The focus for now is on Friday, and I am looking forward to getting stuck back into some action.”

Axel Bassani, stated: “We had a good test at Navarra before the season restarts very soon. Now we are really focused on the French round, which will be the first weekend of racing for seven weeks. It has been a really, really long summer break. We will start to work on Friday at Magny-Cours in the same way we always do and focus on our job. From there, we will try to understand where we are, and we will work as much as possible to get the best results in the races.”