Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) has shown a massive step as the dust settles at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season has burst to life in Round 1, and with both riders scoring podiums in the round, the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team project has announced itself as title contenders in 2026.

BIMOTA’S FIRST PODIUM DOUBLE SINCE 1988: “I was born in 1999, but it’s really good for Bimota, it’s a small factory full of amazing people

Despite his past struggles in the event, a strong Tissot Superpole time of 1’28.972s saw him place P5, just 0.029s behind his British teammate. Behind Bulega, who ran away with P1, Bassani held with the podium group, and nearly was successful in a late attack on Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) to sneak onto the podium in Race 1. He had to settle for P4 on Saturday; he would meet the mark on Sunday in the Tissot Superpole Race, taking P2 ahead of his teammate, the #22. A huge step has been made into 2026, as both Bimota bikes hadn’t been seen on the podium since Estoril 1988 in WorldSBK’s inaugural season!

On what Bimota’s first podium double since 1988 means to him, Bassani joked: “Well, I was born in 1999! It’s really good for Bimota. It’s a small factory, but it’s full of really good people working hard for us. I think it’s a good present for them this Sunday, and I hope to get more. We have another test before Portimao, so we will see where we are, but I think the base is quite good.”

A WEEKEND OF FIRSTS: With his Race 2 P2, Bassani sits in second in the title race for the first time in his WorldSBK career

Going back to 2025 – Bimota’s first season back in the WorldSBK Championship – Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) consistently was the stronger of their two riders. Lowes took all four of the manufacturer’s podiums in their first season back in WorldSBK after a 10-year hiatus from the competition. Thanks to continuous work by him and his team, Axel Bassani looks like he has found a step to send him up to the front, as he has been right in the thick of the top five from Monday’s test onwards.

On his milestone week in Australia and how he landed his double, Bassani said: “It’s been a really nice Sunday, but all this week we’ve been fast. During the test, the pace was good, always consistently in the top five. I was feeling really good with the bike. Honestly, in the wet I didn’t expect this kind of result, because the feeling wasn’t good. I started quite slow as a result, trying to be consistent, trying not to make any mistakes and in the end, this worked. I’m really happy, thanks to all the team, having both bikes on the podium is showing that the bike is fast and that Alex is doing really well too.”

Can Bassani and Bimot keep up their strong pace and challenge Bulega for the Riders’ Championship? Watch live with the WorldSBK VideoPass!