Axel Bassani 's race at Balaton ended in a withdrawal, since he was forced to pull out in the early laps of Race 2. It was a decidedly unlucky weekend for the Bimota rider, who achieved far less than he could have.
When asked at the end of the weekend about the reasons for the withdrawal, the rider from Veneto explained, “My front brake discs were warped. Already, during the formation lap, the front locked up at turn five because of the vibration. I still tried to do two laps, but it was practically impossible to race like that. It would've been dangerous for both me and the others. Why did it happen? They say the brakes get really hot on this track, and they sometimes warp as they cool down.”
It’s not an easy time, but Axel knows he’s been through worse in his career.
“More than anything, it's hard to stay motivated. A bad weekend happens, but when it starts to be more than one, it’s hard to stay calm and one hundred percent motivated, but you keep going, you do your job, and better moments will come,” he said, already looking ahead to the next race on the calendar. “Moto d’Arezzo will be another difficult track. We’ll start with a clear head and see where we stand. The truth is that my pace isn’t bad, because I’m always lapping more or less like Alex. The problem is that, in qualifying ,we never get it right, and we often get the strategy wrong. We’ll try to improve this aspect, because if we manage to start in the top ten, we’d have some pretty good races.”
What limitation of the KB998 does he have to deal with? “Stopping the bike is extremely difficult. We’re very light on the front . As a result, we don’t turn well, and we don’t exit corners well. It’s a limitation we have, and we’re trying to adapt to it as much as possible,” Bassani replied.
Bimota’s goal is to renew the contract with the rider from Feltre who, however, doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to decide his future.
“We’ll talk about it calmly and without rushing. They’ll make their assessments, and I’ll make mine regarding my future,” he said. “What would I like? There are so many things I’d like. I asked Santa Claus for them, but he never brought them to me," he said, laughing.
It’s undeniable that, right now, Ducati is dominating the top spots in the standings, to the extent that the World Superbike Championship almost seems like a one-make series.
“Today, there were eight Ducatis in the top ten, but what can you say to them? I’m of the opinion that if someone works harder and better than you, puts in more effort, has more technicians and more bikes on the track, and then beats you, you can only complain up to a point. Otherwise, you end up blocking out the positive aspects too, which are the development and the effort someone puts into it. Holding back others is always too easy,” he commented. “I’m someone who looks more in my own backyard and tries to figure out what I can do to keep up with them. Then everyone does what they want. Others are the ones who decide the regulations.”