Bassani: “I never complained about my bike, Bulega holds all the cards”

At a time where the futures of several Ducati riders are yet to be sorted, Bassani produced his best performance in WorldSBK after narrowly missing out on victory in Race 2 at Imola. 

Leading the race until three laps to go, Bassani controlled the race in a way that we never saw before.

• Razgatlioglu: “I wasn’t able to ride the Kawasaki in Rea’s style” 
• Wayne Gardner: Remy “will have hard time excelling in WorldSBK”

The Italian’s performance was made all the more impressive after leading Race 1 a day earlier, before making a mistake that cost him three places. 

While Bassani has been one of the best independent riders since joining WorldSBK, despite not having full factory machinery in his mind, the Motocorsa rider has never been one to complain. 

Speaking to GPOne.com on the subject of wanting a factory move sooner rather than later, Bassani said: "I never complained about my bike. The thing is, I’d feel ready to make the jump. 

"I say this because I don’t want to settle, and I aim high. Nevertheless, my team is fantastic. They give their all and I can’t say anything about it."

Expected to miss out on the factory seat alongside Alvaro Bautista in 2024, Bassani says current WorldSSP series leader Nicolo Bulega holds the cards. 

"I read that [Bulega is the favourite]. I don’t think Michael [Rinaldi] is having a good time, and I understand that since there’s a lot of pressure on him. Bulega is winning and has all the cards. If he does, he deserves it."

Bassani has also been linked with other manufacturers including Kawasaki, however, that talk has now ended after the Japanese manufacturer decided to retain Alex Lowes.

Whether it’s Ducati or another brand in the future, Bassani is not all about winning as he wants the ‘project’ to be the correct one. 

"I’m a rider who looks at the project. In fact, I appreciate those who are looking for new challenges like Toprak. It’s easy to choose the top. 

"But instead, he looked at the project and the motivation that can give him a challenge, like winning with BMW."