Axel Bassani admits ‘the level of WorldSBK isn’t helping’ adaptation to Kawasaki
Axel Bassani says his difficult spell with Kawasaki has been made harder by the level of competitiveness in WorldSBK.
Axel Bassani has so far struggled to adapt to the Kawasaki while team-mate Alex Lowes remains a firm WorldSBK title contender after three rounds.
Formerly at Motocorsa Ducati, Bassani has not finished inside the top eight in any of the first nine races, something he achieved 11 out of 12 times aboard the Panigale V4 R last season.
“It’s been a difficult season, at the moment, because the level of World Superbike at the moment is really high and changing team and the motorbike is never easy,” said Bassani.
“The level of WorldSBK isn’t helping me at the moment. This means if you start to go well and have a good speed, you’ll be fast and strong. We need to work step by step, slowly.”
One of the challenges for Bassani has been adapting to the different riding style that’s needed with the ZX10-RR.
“It’s a completely different bike,” began the Italian. “There are always two wheels but it’s a completely different feeling! You have to change your riding style, under braking and the exit of corners, because the bike is different.
“The first time was not easy but now, weekend by weekend, I’m starting to feel better on the bike.
“On the bike, I don’t have a bad feeling, but it’s always difficult to be fast and especially in Superpole we have some problems.
“We’ll try to have a better Superpole because now, if you start out of the first or second row, it’s really difficult to have a good race.
“When we put the softer tyres, the bike starts to be more difficult for me to ride. It starts to be difficult for me to do what I want to do.
“With harder tyres, it’s better. We have to improve a lot with the softer tyres because the bike starts to do something strange for my riding style. We need to improve.
“We’ll work on this point. We have to work on the SCQ tyre but also the soft tyre for the race because, after ten laps, we start to have some problems. We have a lot of work to do but we know what we need.”
"It’s strange to have a team-mate"
New to Bassani this season is sharing the garage with a team-mate, after all three of his seasons with Motocorsa were as a one-rider team.
And with Lowes performing at such a high level, Bassani admits it’s good to look at his data.
Bassani said: “After three years alone with Ducati, it’s strange to have a teammate. At the same time, it’s good, because you have someone who’s riding the same bike and it’s always good to see what they’re doing.
“Alex is a really good guy. He always tries to do his best; he pushes to the limit with the Kawasaki because it’s his fifth season with Kawasaki.
“It’s really important for me to see his data and see where I can improve. He can help me, but you have to remember that he’s my teammate, but always one of my rivals.
“He can help me somewhere… but not too much! It’s normal. It’s the same for me.
“We’re two riders riding for the same team, but, at the same time, we want to be the best. He’s doing his work and the same for me.”
