From Mertens–Tardozzi to Bassani–Lowes, Bimota celebration in Australia: “Now let’s keep going like this”

Bassani’s best SBK weekend as a Bimota rider: Sunday’s two podiums at Phillip Island are a huge motivation for the future.

Race 1 had left a bit of a bitter taste, because he missed the podium by just a few thousandths, but Axel Bassani redeemed himself today. Second place in the Superpole Race and also in Race 2: these are his first podiums since he started riding the Bimota KB998 Rimini. He broke the ice in Australia and it was a great satisfaction. He also sits second in the 2026 Superbike overall standings, the “best of the rest,” given that Nicolò Bulega was in a league of his own, dominating all three races of the weekend at Phillip Island.

A smiling Bassani at the end of the day—understandably so after such strong results: "It was a great Sunday. We were always fast; even during the test our pace was good and we were consistently in the top 5. I had a very good feeling with the bike. Honestly, in wet conditions I didn’t expect this kind of result, because during the Jerez test my sensations on a wet track weren’t positive.

In Superbike Race 2 he took a cautious approach at the start, unsure of his potential in those conditions, then gradually built confidence and made the podium again at Phillip Island: “I started off fairly slowly,” Bassani says, “I tried to be consistent and not make mistakes. In the end, it worked. I’m happy and I thank the team. In the Superpole Race we had both bikes on the podium, which is very important: it means the squad is working well.”

Securing the first podiums with the KB998 Rimini gives Axel a huge boost; he hadn’t finished in the top three since July 2023 (second in Race 2 at Imola with the Motocorsa Ducati): "I feel very good, it’s great to be back on the podium after about two and a half years. It’s important for me, because it means I have the speed to do it. Now it’s in our hands to keep working like this, pushing to get the best out of ourselves."

It had been since 1988, the first year of the Superbike World Championship, that two Bimota riders hadn’t shared a podium. Back then it was Davide Tardozzi and Stéphane Mertens who did it together: five times during the year, the last in Race 2 at Estoril with Mertens first and Tardozzi second. Today it happened for Bassani and Lowes in the Superpole Race at Phillip Island: "I was born in 1999," the Feltre rider comments, "so… It’s really positive for Bimota, a small company but with good people working hard. I think it’s a nice gift for them and I hope there are more to come." We’ll see if it happens again in a long race and whether the first victory for the KB998 Rimini arrives as well.

Next Superbike stop is Portimão in March, and Axel is confident he can be competitive again: "We’ll have a test before racing there and we’ll be able to see where we stand. Surely that’s a completely different track, but I think we have a good base. We’ll see how it goes."