Kawasaki’s Alex Lowes has his eyes on the podium this weekend as WorldSBK arrives at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Having completed Portugal’s final race in fourth, after a strong run on the tails of the podium sitters, Lowes is hoping the steps taken with his Ninja ZX-10RR across the Estoril weekend with bear fruit in Italy.

Six points from the top six in the championship standings, the 31-year-old is hunting his first podium of the season, a feat he last achieved on the Adriatic in 2019.

“We made some really good steps forward over the weekend at Estoril,” Lowes said ahead of round four. “The strongest day was the final day, so we left there feeling quite positive and optimistic about having a good setting on the bike.

“We were not too far away from the first three, finishing fourth in the last race in Portugal and the way I did the race was really good. My target is to get back on the podium at a racetrack that I really enjoy. Also, my twin brother Sam’s partner is Italian, so it is a second home race for him. I am looking forward to having the family there this week.

“I cannot wait to get out there on track. It is important on Friday for us to see if the setting changes we made over the weekend in Estoril work again at Misano; then we are looking good for this next run of European races.

“That is what we need to work on during FP1 and FP2. Apart from that it is aiming for the podium, enjoying it all and seeing where we end up.”