The core reason behind Axel Bassani’s WorldSBK turnaround in Czechia

Axel Bassani says a strong Superpole performance was key to his top-five finish in Race 1 at the Czech WorldSBK.

Bassani’s WorldSBK season started strongly back in Australia, finishing on the podium twice, but his best result since the series returned to Europe in March had been the three eighths he achieved in Portimao – everything else was outside the top-10.

The Bimota rider, therefore, marked something of a return to form with his fifth in Race 1 at Most, which he says was only possible because of a better Superpole performance – qualifying seventh – than he’s managed since Australia.

“It’s been a good weekend, but I think also the last weekends were good, but we did always a bad Superpole, and when you start from the back in Superbike it’s really difficult to recover positions – depends a lot on the track,” Axel Bassani told WorldSBK.com after Race 1 in Most.

“This time I did a Superpole like I want to do and I did a good lap. 

“We started P7, we finished P5 – a lot of points, so I’m happy about the work I did and also the work the team did.”

Bassani was fifth for most of the race, chasing Garrett Gerloff in fourth, but was never able to make a move on the American.

The Bimota rider explained that he had ran on at the first chicane at one point and had to abandon his original race strategy as a result.

“Me and Garrett [Gerloff] did a really good race, always consistent pace until the end,” Bassani said.

“But unfortunately after some laps I had to go straight in the chicane because I was going in the back of Surra because I braked quite late [compared] to him. 

“So I had to cut the chicane, to lose more than one second to not have the long lap penalty. I had to push a lot in the moment that I was not planning to push, and when I arrived on Gerloff I was quite on the limit. 

“I tried to stay there, but his pace was quite good so I had not the possibility to overtake him and I finished P5.”