Axel Bassani and the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team started preparing for the 2026 season at the Jerez Test.

After the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team debuted the KB998 Rimini in the 2025 World Superbike Championship, there is a clear direction ahead of its second season in the series.

Axel Bassani got half a day of testing on the machine after the 2025 season came to an end at the Circuito do Jerez. During the test, the Italian was able to evaluate a new rear shock and some changes to his Kawasaki engine.

"It has been quite a productive morning, we tried a lot of new items," Bassani told WorldSBK.com after the Jerez World Superbike Test.

"A rear shock, something new on the engine, it has been good. We have been trying to decide which is the best way to take during the winter. We have a lot of work to do, but it has been good.

"I had fun, we worked really hard with the team, I am happy to finish in a good way. Now we have to be focused for the winter and improve as much as possible."

He went on to state the parts of the KB998 Rimini that he would like improving for the 2026 World Superbike Championship.

"Some things were good, some things were not, but this is normal," he explained.

"I had some benefits for sure, but like I said, we have a lot to improve. We can improve a lot of things, for example, with the engine, we can improve our speed on the straights. We also have to work a lot on the aerodynamics, but also the suspension. We have improved a lot.

"There are a lot of things we can improve, because the bike only has one year of experience. So, we have a lot of work to do."