You are here

SBK, Bassani: “I went straight at the last chicane, because I wanted to do like Rossi with Marquez"

“I tried to resist Aegerter in the last chicane, but I'm not Valentino, and it didn't work. Only Bautista's Ducati was fast at Assen. I weigh 20kg more and I would be slow if I rode like him"

SBK: Bassani: “I went straight at the last chicane, because I wanted to do like Rossi with Marquez"

Share


Axel Bassani's Dutch weekend ended with a fifth place, as in Race 2 he was forced to give up a position to Dominique Aegerter after trying everything to close the door at the end of the race.

“Dominique tried to pass me in the last chicane, we touched, and I went straight. I tried to do what Valentino Rossi did with Marc Marquez, but I'm not Valentino, so that's okay - the 23-year-old joked - The penalty is correct. I tried to resist Dominique, but he was better than me in the final laps. I'm happy for him. Next time I'll try to stay in front."

A good result for the rider from the Veneto, who however remains a bit disappointed for not being able to get on the podium. Which was his stated goal for this Sunday.

“It's OK as a result, but I'm not happy because I tried to stay with Locatelli to try and fight for the podium, but it was difficult because the Yamahas are very fast at this circuit. Only one Ducati was fast and it was Alvaro's. It was tough for the rest of us on this track, but I'm happy. Two Top 5s are a good result for us” admitted Axel.

When asked about the difference in performance between him and the other Ducatisti, the reigning champion justified the discrepancy by calling into question his former MotoGP riding style. Which is, in his opinion, the right way to make the most of the full potential of the Panigale V4R.

“Only Alvaro rides like this. If me, Danilo or Michael rode like Alvaro we wouldn't be as fast as him. His style is good for him, but not for us - Bassani countered - He does normal things, but for me it's difficult to imitate what he does, because if I did, I'd be slow, since it's not my style. Danilo also comes from MotoGP, but he has the same problems as me. I weigh 20kg more than Alvaro and I don't know if it's a problem, but it's not easy. We ride like in MotoGP, we do the pick-up of the bike, but it doesn't work. So, I don't know."

Beyond the 9.5s gap from the leader of Race 2, the Motocorsa rider can still draw a positive balance, summing up his Dutch trip. Conditioned also by a three-place penalty, he had to serve on the starting grid of Race 1.

“I finished in the top five twice and finished sixth in the Superpole Race, which is not my race, so it's a good result. We are close to the podium, and we need to understand what we need to get there. This week we will have to try to find a solution in order to be able to fight for a good position in Barcelona" underlined Bassani, who found himself facing quite a headache in the last race of the day.

“I struggled a lot with the front. I gave 100% from the first lap, but from the start of the race I had problems in all the corners, and it was really difficult to do 21 laps like that - explained the Feltre native - This is our current position, but we have to find a solution. In this way we can fight for fifth or sixth place, but I need a podium."

 

Related articles