Kawasaki rider Axel Bassani just shone in the wet / Superbike World Championship

Kawasaki is still in a better position for the 2024 World Superbike Championship than expected after the switch from Jonathan Rea to Yamaha. Alex Lowes also proved to be a top 5 driver in Assen, his crash in the second round being his first retirement.

Kawasaki’s second factory pilot, Axel Bassani, is still a problem child. At the Assen meeting, the 24-year-old achieved his best result to date with the ZX-10RR in ninth place in the first round. On the wet track, the Italian even managed to finish on the podium until lap 7, but then he was passed. He was lucky that the race was stopped on lap 15 after Andrea Locatelli (Yamaha) suffered an engine failure.

“I risked regaining the position at the beginning because the conditions were difficult. I liked the wet conditions at the beginning, but when it dried, our problems returned,” said Bassani. “It was a good feeling to fight inside the top three in the first few rounds. But after that, when other drivers start passing you and you can’t do anything about it, it’s even more difficult. We have to know what’s going on because it’s complicated. But this is only the third round of the year and the level of this season is amazing.”

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Welcome to the Assen race

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Start of the race

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Razgatlioglu, Bautista, Gardner

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Remy Gardner

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Andrea Locatelli

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Rea, Lowes, Gardner

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Alvaro Bautista

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Toprak Razgatlioglu

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Bautista and Bulega

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Bautista and Razgatlioglu

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Gardner and Lowes

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Razgatlioglu and Gardner

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Bautista vor Locatelli

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Toprak Razgatlioglu wins the race

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Sieger Toprak Razgatlioglu

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Bautista, Razgatlioglu, Gardner

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Sieger Toprak Razgatlioglu

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Sunday’s two races were unlucky for the Kawasaki rider. In the Superpole race in 13th place, Bassani crashed on the gravel after a mistake and was in last place – only 18th.

“It was a difficult weekend, also because of the weather, which changed every time between wet and dry. It was not easy to understand everything, also because it was our first time here with Kawasaki,” Bassani said, explaining his problems. “In the second race on Sunday the feeling of the bike was a little better because we tried something new. When I tried to push, I made a mistake and went completely off the track. I just wanted to finish the race and try to gather information and data for the next race. We will remain positive and we will continue to do work to find a good way forward.”

With a manageable 22 points, the Italian is 16th in the overall standings.

The next Superbike meeting at Misano (June 14 to 16) is Bassani’s home race. Last year he finished third on the podium in the second race with Motocorsa Ducati.