Bassani: “How I feel about not having factory bike isn’t easy to explain”

‘It’s not easy to accept this situation’ - Axel Bassani believes he should be riding a factory WorldSBK machine.

06 Sep 2023

Axel Bassani, Ducati WorldSBK Donington Park 2023

The Italian is currently competing in his third season in WorldSBK, all of which have come aboard the Motocorsa Ducati.

Bassani missed out on the factory Aruba.it Ducati ride this season but was expected to challenge Michael Ruben Rinaldi for the seat again in 2024.

However, Nicolo Bulega has become the rider of choice for the Italian manufacturer, leaving Bassani without a factory seat once again.

Expected to remain with Motocorsa as a result, Bassani could now be a contender for the vacant Kawasaki seat after Jonathan Rea sealed a surprise move to Yamaha for 2024.

Itching to become a factory rider, Bassani told WorldSBK.com: "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."

Bassani has shown the ability to run at the front in WorldSBK on multiple occasions, although he’s still without a victory.

The closest he came was at Imola when he led most of the race before Toprak Razgatlioglu eventually got the better of him.

But Bassani is keen to deliver that type of performance after admitting he feels at his best when fighting at the front.

"I think my 2023 season has been a good season," added Bassani. "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."