Axel Bassani will join the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK from the 2024 season of the production-based series.
The move was announced at the end of Friday practice at this weekend’s Portuguese round of WorldSBK. Earlier in the day, Bassani had been announced to be leaving Motocorsa at the end of the season, which then opened the pathway for him to join the factory Kawasaki team from 2024.
Bassani, of course, will have the largest shoes in the WorldSBK paddock to fill: those of six-times World Champion Jonathan Rea, who is also the most iconic rider in Kawasaki’s history.
The Italian has not yet won a WorldSBK race, despite having spent his entire career in the series on arguably the best satellite package in the championship: the Ducati Panigale V4 R of the aforementioned Motocorsa team.
Axel Bassani, stated: “I'm really happy for the important opportunity that Kawasaki is offering me. I will give the best of myself on and off the track to achieve the best possible results, hoping to give all the Kawasaki fans great emotions and satisfaction! I want to thank my family for the sacrifices made and Lorenzo Mauri for the path we have taken together which has allowed me to stand out in recent years. See you soon on the track.”
Partnering Alex Lowes, a two-time race winner in WorldSBK, Bassani and his British teammate will form one of the least-victorious factory pairings in WorldSBK next year. Only Honda’s duo of Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona - both of whom are without a victory in WorldSBK - are less successful in terms of wins. However, it is worth noting that, with Marc Marquez seemingly set to depart HRC in MotoGP for Ducati, his spot in the Honda Grand Prix stable is likely to be filled by Lecuona. That will open the door for Michael Ruben Rinaldi - a four-time WorldSBK race winner - to join HRC's WorldSBK team, making Kawasaki’s 2024 line-up the least victorious on the grid.
On the signing of Bassani, Guim Roda, Team Manager of KRT, said: “Our 2024 strategy was set months ago, but Rea's move made us rethink the organisational logic at KRT. We spoke internally with KMC and the decision was to take a younger rider with the potential to win races and who knew how to take advantage of all the KRT experience. His image is fresh, sincere, fun and has a lot of potential to represent Kawasaki's image in the world.
“Alex Lowes will now need to apply all of his experience, while Axel will have a bit of time to learn. We are very happy with the structure we have proposed for 2024 and we are very motivated to enjoy racing and take advantage of the best aspects of the Ninja ZX-10RR. I hope the fans enjoy next season with this latest project we are working on.”
Steve Guttridge, Kawasaki Motors Europe, Race Planning Manager, said: “While we continue to compete for wins and podiums in the remaining races of the 2023 season with Jonathan and Alex, already the Kawasaki Racing Team is long-term planning for next season. It is almost impossible to express the impact that Jonathan has had within the Kawasaki racing family and as he leaves us at the end of the season there is a golden opportunity for a rider new to our racing project to make an impression. We are delighted to have signed Axel and our feeling is that his impressive track record so far is only a small indication of his future potential. We look forward to realising that potential and seeing him blossom on the KRT Ninja ZX-10RR.”
It is still unknown who will replace Bassani at Motocorsa. Andrea Iannone will certainly be on a satellite Ducati in WorldSBK next season, but GoEleven is rumoured to be the more likely destination for him. However, with Bassani vacating the Motocorsa seat, it is possible that Iannone could replace his compatriot there, and that Philipp Oettl will keep his seat at GoEleven.
