Axel Bassani is a rider with a wealth of experience behind his 26-year old self, and had made 181 WorldSBK race starts, even before the first round of the 2026 season.

Starting out racing in his home country of Italy, in the smaller capacity classes, he took his first steps into international competition in the Stock600 class, then WorldSSP an even for a short while in Moto2. He was the European Supersport champion in 2013.

Axel would ultimately ride the biggest bikes in Stock 1000 before competing on the most powerful production-derived machines of all, in WorldSBK in 2020.

In 2021 he had a quantum jump into the WorldSBK class, for the Independent MotoCorsa team. He would go on to record six WorldSBK podiums and truly challenge for races wins at circuits all over the world.

In 2022 and 2023 Axel performed so well that he was top WorldSBK Independent Rider.

When the chance to join the official Kawasaki Racing Team come along in 2024, Axel grabbed it with both hands, feeling that he needed to get a factory ride to progress his experience and enhance his general career ambitions.

Inside KRT for one year, alongside his current riding partner Alex Lowes, he moved over to the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team last season. Axel earned a front row start at home in Misano, and in 2026 he will be out for much more on the bimota KB998 Rimini machine.

Axel will have a new crew chief in 2026, in the shape of former Jonathan Rea mechanic inside KRT just a few years again, Uri Pallares.

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