Bassani wants solution to unlock podium results, has his say on Aegerter clash

Heading into the final lap, the WorldSBK rookie, who had been closing in on the Ducati rider for several laps attempted an overtake at the final chicane.

Aegerter went to the inside of Bassani and managed to stay on-track, however, slight contact resulted in the Italian running off the circuit and coming across the line in fourth.

• Rea: “Clumsy big feet or pressure on the arm of the gear lever, zero idea” 
• Michael Van Der Mark suffers broken leg after monster highside

But after gaining an advantage in doing so, Bassani was instead dropped to fifth. Happy to concede the position, Bassani said if it was for a podium then the feeling around it would have been different.

Speaking to WorldSBK.com, Bassani added: "I tried for the podium today but I was in the middle of Yamahas. Only blue [around me]. But yeah, I’m happy. Dominique was better than me on the last three laps. 

"Now we need to understand what we need to do to arrive on the podium. If it was for a podium I would not be happy but for fourth position it is okay. I want a solution for the podium because we are really near to it."

In terms of Aegerter’s performance, Race 2 was another strong indication that the two-time WorldSSP champion is beginning to look like the favourite for rookie of the year.

Consistently ahead of teammate Remy Gardner and Danilo Petrucci, Aegerter was instead close to mixing it with factory Yamaha rider Andrea Locatelli. 

Discussing his race, Aegerter said: "I just spoke with Axel before and it was a great move. That was a great Race 2, finishing 4th and getting top independent is nice. We had a good start and fierce battles until the last chicane. 

"There are still aspects of this bike that I can learn how to better exploit, we’re going step by step. 

"We have a great long-run pace and base setup, but we should be quick in the early stages too. I’m happy with the package we have, Yamaha and the GYTR GRT Team are doing a great job, plus it’s good we can share data with fast guys. 

"We’ll keep working for sure, that is what has got us where we are today. We hope to be in the top group again in Barcelona."