Axel Bassani does not believe that the KB998 Rimini will be competitive around the Magny-Cours layout.

This weekend marks the end of the summer break for the 2025 World Superbike Championship, and the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team will be back on track.

After an up-and-down first season with the KB998 Rimini, Axel Bassani is not confident ahead of the French World Superbike Round at Magny-Cours.

The Italian rider does not believe the bimota will be able to be competitive at the French circuit due to its layout.

"We are going back to race after the summer break, at Magny Cours," Bassani said.

"That is a circuit that no one has tested at, so we will all start at the same level. There are a lot of corners where you have to almost ‘restart’ on the exit, so for us, that will maybe not be the best. But we will see.

"Magny Cours is a completely new circuit for us with the bimota KB998 Rimini. We have nothing to lose, and we have to understand what we can do once we ride the bike.

"We will try to finish all the races and score as many points as possible."

After eight rounds of the 2025 World Superbike Championship, Axel Bassani finds himself 11th in the standings and has 84 points to his name with a best result of fifth place in Race Two at Assen.