‘He’ll have so much knowledge of Bautista’ - Lowes on what Bassani can bring

Bassani has been with Ducati as part of the Motocorsa team since 2021 and is on course to finish as the top Independent rider for the second consecutive season. 

Although Bassani has not been using identical machinery as factory riders Alvaro Bautista and Michael Ruben Rinaldi, the Italian has been a match for the latter on many occasions. 

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Like in MotoGP, Ducati have produced the best bike in the series, one that has advantages in key areas of the rest of the competition.

Straight line speed, acceleration on corner exit and stability are some of those areas, and Lowes is hoping Bassani can shed his secrets while also giving Kawasaki ‘knowledge’ on how Bautista manages to make his Panigale V4 R achieve the results that are set to take him to a second consecutive title.

"I’ll be the experienced guy on the Kawasaki, but Axel’s got a lot of experience," Lowes told WorldSBK.com. "He’s done three seasons in WorldSBK. He’s not a rookie and he has good experience on a good bike. 

"It’s not a factory bike, but he still has access to the electronics and data, and he’ll have so much knowledge of the guy that’s been winning, the benchmark in WorldSBK. 

"It’ll be more important for him to bring that knowledge and try to give it. I’ve been riding the bike for four years. 

"I know where I’m struggling but I’ve already been telling them my opinion. What’s really nice is when somebody from the outside arrives, especially when they’ve been riding one of the strongest packages. 

"I’m hoping he can bring some of that knowledge and experience to the team because that’s what we need now."