Axel Bassani keeps his feet on the ground, but there are the conditions for a great career. The Seren del Grappa rider has just returned from the fantastic weekend in Misano where he collected a sixth place in the SuperPole Race and two sevenths in Race 1 and 2, managing to get behind riders with much more experience than him and with seasons in MotoGp.
In recent days, on the specialized weekly Moto Sprint, Bassani’s name has been compared, as a hypothesis, to the Ducati Factory for next season, given that Redding has so far proved to be in evident difficulty, while his partner Rinaldi has brought home some results . In doing so, the Borgo Panigale bike could boast two Italian riders.
«It’s nice to hear your name associated with a factory team but at the moment I don’t know anything», Axel Bassani comments, «now I’m happy where I am and with my team. Obviously all the riders have the goal of being able to race for a factory team, but right now I don’t have to get upset. I’m in my first year in Superbike and I want to feel comfortable. The season is still long and we need to stay focused ».
What has changed in Misano compared to previous weekends?
«Nothing, we have always worked with the same method and in the same direction. We managed to face the weekend with the right determination. Already on Friday things went well, because we were in the top five. Misano is a track I know well and this gave us a hand, but we had already changed gears since the Estoril race in Portugal, managing to stay a little further ahead. We managed to bring home the results we deserved, a shame only for the start in Race 2. I could have stayed close to the top five. We faced the weekend with the right determination. Misano was a further step forward where we have gained more experience ».
Did you expect such a leap forward in the race?
“Before the championship started I was thinking and hoping for placings between eighth and ninth place, but I thought they would arrive in the middle of the season, not before”, continues Bassani, “but, as I said before, already from Estoril I felt good . I wanted to achieve good results and we succeeded ».
At the finish in Misano he put behind him riders with a lot of experience and who years ago competed in MotoGP.
«It was a great satisfaction to get in front of them but also to ride with them and learn. These pilots are very experienced and I respect them a lot. I enjoyed running on the track and doing a bit of tussle, this helps me to grow. We hope to be able to fight with them again and maybe even with those further up in the standings ».
On the weekend of 3-4 July you will race in England on the Donington track.
«I would be happy to be in the top ten because this track is very difficult», concludes Bassani, «the last time I competed there was in 2016 in the Supersport world championship. You don’t have to get your head up, the riders are all very fast. Does it rain often in England? Let’s hope not on the days of the race. Even those who go strong in the wet always prefer the sun ».
Drivers classification
Rea 149, Razgatlioglu 129, Redding 104, Lowes 88, Rinaldi 82, Gerloff 59, Van Der Mark 52, Sykes 51, Davies 48, Locatelli 45, Bautista 43, Bassani 38, Mahias 22, Haslam 18, Nozane 17, Rabat 16, Laverty 10, Folger 8, Vinales 7, Ponsson 1.
Calendar
2-4 July Donington (Great Britain), 23-25 July Assen (Holland), 6-9 August Autodrom Most (Czech Republic), 20-22 August Navarra Circuit (Spain), 3-5 September Magny Curs, 17- 19 September Montmelò (Spain), 24-26 September Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), 1-3 October Villicum (Argentina), 12-14 November Mandalika (Indonesia)GIACOMO LUCHETTA