The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship enjoyed a dramatic Round 4 of the Championship at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, as the weekend saw Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) perform at a different level to the rest of the grid, securing top spot in the Championship ahead of the duelling Ducati threats of Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). However, one man who enjoyed a subtle, yet solid weekend was Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). The Italian, who has continued to show improvement and development onboard the ZX10 RR, capped a fine return home with two top ten finishes. The Italian native has been slowly getting up to speed this season in adapting from the Ducati Panigale V4 R to the Kawasaki machinery and had previously enjoyed a best finish of P9 up until this weekend. Bassani also had a superb Superpole Race, finishing P6 by the time the chequered flag dropped on Saturday at Misano.

“I’M REALLY HAPPY WITH THE JOB WE DID”: Bassani buoyed by Misano showing

Naturally, Bassani was happy to see the fruits of his (extensive) labours onboard the Japanese machine. Speaking about his successes on Saturday and Sunday, Bassani said: “For sure, this was the best Sunday of the year so far! I’m really happy with the job we did. I’m already starting to understand what I have to do on the bike during the race, because it’s very different to last year. We also have to compete in a different way.”

“THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IS THE ELECTRONICS”: Bassani talks steps made

When discussing the tangible progress and steps made with the Kawaski setup, Bassani offered a thoroughly insightful response. The Italian had this to say: “I’m starting to understand the movement of the bike during the race; the bike is very different in the second part of the race compared to the first part. I’m also trying to be more relaxed on the bike and to follow it. The biggest difference is the electronics on this bike; you have to work a lot on these.”

“IT WAS GREAT TO ANNOUNCE IT BEING AT HOME” – Axel discusses future clarity

Bassani also discussed his delight at knowing his future for next year. It was announced during the weekend that Bassani would be staying with Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK for next year. Discussing this, Bassani said: “For sure, it was great to announce it being at home with a lot fans. I am happy knowing that I will be continuing with this team next year.” Bassani’s teammate, Britain’s Alex Lowes, also confirmed during the weekend that his future for next season lies with the Japanese manufacturer, so there is much cause for optimism within the green-and-black brand. Bassani lastly briefly discussed the upcoming Cremona test, and whether Kawasaki would have any news parts to work on. Discussing this, Bassani said: “I don’t know if we will have new items, but we definitely know the direction that we have to follow.”

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