FIM Superbike World Championship
Portimão
WorldSBK - Portugal
Bassani Achieves Best bimota Finish at Portimao
The bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team wrapped up an action-packed final day at Portimao, with Axel Bassani delivering the standout performance by securing seventh place in a red-flagged and restarted Race Two, which ultimately ran for 11 laps. Kawasaki WorldSBK team racer Garrett Gerloff took a significant step forward in understanding his Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-10RR on Sunday at Portimao, securing 12th place in Race Two and adding more WorldSBK championship points to his tally.
WorldSBK Results
Alex Lowes
“We tried some changes with the bike today, and I felt quite good. In the last race, I gained positions before the red flag. We had a brief window to adjust the setup again, and at the restart, I was in race mode, making strong passes on Aegerter and Montella. Unfortunately, at Turn 12 on the first lap, while on full power, I lost the front unexpectedly. It’s not a usual place to crash, but maybe I was pushing too hard with the better grid position. Despite no results this weekend, my pace wasn’t bad. We’ll take the lessons from this first European round with bimota and come back stronger in Assen. Axel did a great job in Race Two, improving all weekend. Congrats to him and his team—his data will be valuable for all of us.”
Axel Bassani
“Today felt pretty good on the bike. In the Superpole Race, once I got near the top ten, it became really tough to make overtakes because the race pace was so similar for everyone. I struggled to take the slipstream on the straight, making it hard to attack. In Race Two, before the red flag, I had some front-end issues, but after the restart, the bike felt much better, and I could push as I wanted. I did make a mistake in Turn 1, losing about a second and a half, but I recovered well. I had a great battle with Petrucci, which I really enjoyed, even though the straight-line fight with him wasn’t easy! Overall, we leave Portimao with a good feeling and valuable insights about the bike. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum into Assen.”
Garrett Gerloff
“I’m feeling a lot happier at the end of Sunday than I was yesterday. I figured out some key things on the bike that made a big difference, and in Race Two, I was able to go much faster than before. We’re still not where we want to be, but I can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel. Before, it felt pretty tough. Thanks to the team and everyone who came out to support us. We’ll push again in Assen in two weeks.”
