Axel Bassani: “Bimota did a really good job” on WorldSBK “bike of a new era”
“My feeling with the bike is good, I can push, but we have a lot of work to do.”
Axel Bassani ended the final day of the two-day Jerez WorldSBK test fastest overall on the new Bimota.
The Italian was pleased with his start on the new motorcycle that will make its competitive debut next year, even if he had to “discover everything” about it in Jerez.
“It’s been a really good first day with the new Bimota,” Bassani concluded when speaking to WorldSBK.com at the end of the Jerez test.
“It’s been not easy in the first part because it’s a completely new bike. We had to discover everything.
“But I think we did a really good job; the team worked really good; the bike was feeling nice, I’m feeling good.
“So, I’m happy. We have a lot of work to do, but for the moment we are doing a really good job.”
Bassani’s best time of day two of the test not only put him fastest on the day, but was also a significant improvement over his Superpole time from the Spanish round last weekend.
“It’s been half-a-second faster than my Superpole last weekend here in Jerez,” he said.
“So, this means my feeling with the bike is good, I can push, but we have a lot of work to do, it is only the start of a new era with Bimota. But, when you start good, it’s always nice.”
While Bassani was pleased with the beginning, he thinks there is a lot of room for improvement.
“Everything was all completely new” he said. “We start from zero, and I think in not a lot of time Bimota did a really good job.
“Now we have some more tests to do, and I think during the winter they can do some steps on the bike.
“We have to be happy for this start, but we have to stay calm and try to understand what we need, and try to improve for next year.”
Although the Bimota uses the same engine as the Kawasaki Bassani rode in 2024, the new bike has different characteristics, as he explained.
“It’s quite different because we have the wings, and the chassis is completely different,” he said.
“It’s like to ride a different bike but with the same engine: it’s strange because the sound is the same but the feeling is not the same.
“They are two different things. The Kawasaki was a good bike, but the Bimota is a bike of a new era, so it’s good for us.”
