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Leaving Phillip Island, Axel Bassani 's apprenticeship journey on the official Kawasaki team's ZX-10RR continued in the two-day test in Barcelona. Sixteenth in the combined timesheets, the Venetian rider continued to work on pace and consistency ahead of the second round of the season, which will be held next weekend at the Catalan track.
"Just like Thursday, yesterday I found something in the last three laps of the session. It's good, because I was able to achieve a good time with the race tire, even better than with the SCQ," said El Bocia at the end of testing. " We have to start from here to figure out what to do next week. We need testing to improve our work, and we did that."
Round after round Axel is continuing to improve his feeling on the Ninja, but he makes no secret of the fact that he and his team still have a lot of work to do.
"I 've found a little more confidence with the front, but we also need to work a lot on the rear in the cornering phase, because we lose so much time in long turns," he explained, " This is not because I was used to the Ducati. Ducati is part of the past, now I ride Kawasaki and I think I have completely forgotten the riding style of Ducati. We just have to work and try to find some solutions."
In addition to working on feeling and set-up, the tests at Montmeló were also a great opportunity to share the box with an exceptional coach like Marco Melandri, who could be an extra weapon for Axel as the season continues and as he transitions from a private to a factory team.
"Marco is a great guy, with a lot of experience, and he has helped me a lot to understand what I need. He's been a big help," acknowledged the 24-year-old. "Will he continue to work with me? That's a secret (laughs). We'll see."
With his eyes set on the next Round, Bassani has already begun to get a feel for the two new tires introduced by Pirelli for Catalunya and how to maximize the potential of his Kawasaki.
"I tried both new tires. I liked the front, but as for the rear I don't know, I still have to decide. Now we have clearer ideas ahead of the race weekend. It's easier to approach the weekend by completing two days of testing the week before, but that's how it is for everyone. Not just for me ," remarked Axel, who hopes to find a good single-lap pace: "More than thinking about tires, right now I think I need to focus on Superpole. I'm aiming to do a good qualifying, because if you start 15th or 16th it's impossible to fight with the frontrunners, while we might have a chance to fight for a good position starting from the second or third row."
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