Axel Bassani (4th): What he says about the duel with Bimota team-mate Alex Lowes

After Friday's practice session, Axel Bassani gave his assessment of what will be possible with the Bimota this weekend in Misano. "We have the potential for a place between 4th and 7th," said the Italian on Friday. On Saturday at least, his prediction came true. Bassani set the seventh-fastest time in qualifying. From this position, he got off to a good start in Race 1, lining up in 6th place behind Bimota team-mate Alex Lowes on the first lap.

After Lorenzo Baldassarri crashed on lap 5, Bassani was already in 5th place, after which the two Bimota riders battled for fourth place. By the halfway point of the race, the duel had been decided in Bassani's favour.

Bassani then crossed the finish line as the best non-Ducati rider. He was over 17 seconds behind the winner Nicolo Bulega. The gap to Alex Lowes was a good three seconds.

"It was a very long race. Misano is always exhausting for the body and also mentally challenging. In the end, we did a very good job," said the Italian. "On the first lap, it was difficult to find my rhythm to overtake some riders. After that, I had a little duel with Alex - as always, we did it with a lot of respect. Today we both did a good job. I am happy and proud of what we are doing together with the team."

Is it even more important for the Italian to be ahead of his team-mate in front of his home fans? "No. I just always try to be calm and focussed. I knew that my pace today was pretty good and slightly better than Alex's. I was one or two tenths faster than him on every lap," explained the 26-year-old. "But of course it's very special here because it's my home race. But it's important to have the same level in every race of the season."

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It was announced in Misano on Saturday that Bassani and Alex Lowes will continue to ride for Bimota in 2027. Did the fact that his immediate future is settled give him the peace of mind he needed? "I've been pretty relaxed about this point all year," said Bassani. "Last year I was a bit more nervous, but this year I'm just trying to be focussed and do the best job I can for the team. At the end of the day, I'm a professional and it's my job to be professional every day."