Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) has made a name for himself since MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship debut, and he’s become a rising star within the paddock. Often getting amongst the ‘Titanic Trio’ in races and showing no signs of backing down when fighting with them, the Italian continues to impress. Now in his third season with Motocorsa Racing and still collecting podiums, the Italian sat down for an interview to review his 2023 so far, looking to end the campaign strongly and not yet securing a factory seat.

BASSANI’S FUTURE: “Difficult to speak about… it’s a strange world”

Bassani’s future has come into question since he started fighting at the front of the field and he was being linked with the factory Ducati seat in the last couple of years. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) kept it for 2023 and Nicolo Bulega will ride the factory Panigale V4 R next year. It means Bassani – for the moment – does not have a factory seat in WorldSBK although there are some available for next year. The six-time podium finisher revealed his thoughts on not having a factory team and discussed his future, with his eyes firmly on doing the best job he could.

He explained: “The future is always difficult to speak about. I don’t know what will happen in the future. I’m doing what I need to do. I try to put in 100% when I’m on the track to try to finish at the front and out of the track it’s the job of my manager to speak with the teams. It’s not easy to accept but this is the situation. How I feel about not having a factory bike isn’t easy to explain. It’s a strange world. Sometimes you don’t have what you deserve. It’s not good for me but also, I feel like people are scared of me because I’m a fast rider and I say what I want to say. It’s not easy to have me in a team! It’s a strange situation.”

2023 IN REVIEW: “A good season… Misano was special, Imola was a different feeling”

The Feltre-born star came into 2023 on the back of three podiums last season and finishing seventh in the Championship standings, and this season has proven to be similar. He currently has two podiums but has found more consistency, moving him into fifth in the standings and in a battle with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) for third. Bassani also fought for victory at his home round at Imola but lost out to Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) in the final few laps. Despite the first victory still alluding him, Bassani spoke positively about his season as well as how he feels when he fights with riders like Razgatlioglu and Rea.

The #47 explained: “I think my 2023 season has been a good season. We’ve done a really good job and I’ve fought for the podium. I’m happy for the job we’ve done with the team and for the job I’ve done. The best moment of this season was Race 2 at Imola. We fought with Toprak for the victory, and we weren’t far away. Misano was special, but Michael crashed in front of me, so I finished third, but I was fourth. At Imola, we fought for victory, so it was a different feeling. When I fight with the front guys, Jonny or Toprak, I feel like I’m in the right place. I feel good and I enjoy battling with them because they are the best guys in the world with a motorbike. It’s a really special moment for me and I feel good.”

AIMING HIGH: “We are close to the victory… I think we can fight for the podium or win at Magny-Cours”

24-year-old Bassani is still looking for his first win in World Superbike, but he was as close as ever at Imola in mid-July, missing out in the final few laps of Race 2 as he finished behind the 2021 Champion. Despite not winning yet, Bassani is aiming to secure his maiden victory in the final four rounds of 2023, and he outlined Magny-Cours as a track where this could potentially happen after he took two podiums there last year. He also set his sights high in the Championship standings.

Outlining his goals for the final four rounds of 2023, the Italian stated: “The goals for the last part of the season are to finish in the top three at the end of the Championship. I want to win races and continue to enjoy the moment. To win, we need to wait. We are doing a really good job and we are close to the victory. We have a lot of races where I like the track and the layout. I’m trying to fight for victories, but it isn’t easy. We are close. Before the end of the season, we’ll arrive there. Magny-Cours is a really good track for us. Last year, we had two podiums. I think we can fight for the podium or for a victory, but we will see. It’s a good track for me.”

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