The bikes are stopped for a short break, but the market is in great turmoil: after the news that shook both the MotoGP and Superbike paddocks yesterday, today comes a new announcement that is starting to settle the 2024 World Championship grid. production derivatives: Yamaha and Andrea Locatelli announce the renewal for the next two years, confirming a two-year contract.
After losing its spearhead Toprak Razgatlioglu (who landed at BMW, here are the details), the House of the three tuning forks confirms its renewed trust with the rider from Bergamo, author of a big step forward this year. Locatelli arrives at Misano, his home round, in third position in the general standings, behind only the leader and reigning champion Alvaro Bautista and the Turkish rider, the only one in 2023 to have beaten the Spaniard.
Landed in Superbike as a Supersport record champion, Locatelli made his debut in the premier class of factory-derived derivatives in 2021, right on the saddle of the official team’s Yamaha. In his rookie year he scored his maiden podium in Race 2 at Assen, repeating the result at the following round in the Czech Republic and ending the season with four podiums and a fourth place overall.
2022 was a more complicated year, in which he collected only two podiums, a second place in the Netherlands and a third in Indonesia, finishing the season in fifth position in the world standings. However, if last year seemed to have been particularly difficult, 2023 saw a big step forward and on several occasions he was even ahead of his more famous teammate. In fact, he has climbed onto the podium in every round, already reaching four and is now aiming for his first success, the only piece that is still missing at the moment.
However, he will have to try not only this season, but also next, thanks to the renewed mutual trust between Locatelli and the Yamaha team. “My goal was to continue with Yamaha, so I’m very happy to have signed for another two years,” says the Italian. “One of the best things about Yamaha are the people who believe in me, starting with Eric de Seynes, Paolo Pavesio and Andrea Dosoli, but also Riccardo Tisci and all the engineers and technicians who work hard to give me the best bike possible. The same it goes for the team. Since coming to WorldSBK I have enjoyed incredible support from Paul Denning and Andrew Pitt, and everyone involved in the project. All together we have had some good results but, more importantly, we have walked side by side on a path that has allowed me to feel increasingly confident. We still have room for improvement in many areas, but I truly believe that with such a good relationship we will grow together. If consistency is key, as they say, then I believe that with this extension we have laid the foundations for a bright future.”
Andrea Dosoli: Road Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe, says: “It gives me great pleasure to announce that we will continue for another two years with Andrea Locatelli, in line with Yamaha’s vision to nurture talent and forge a long-term relationship with our riders.Our journey with Andrea began in 2020, when he dominated WorldSSP aboard our R6, but his performances in 2021, when we moved to WorldSBK, were just as impressive, finishing the season in fourth place and as rookie of the year. We have seen Andrea mature as a driver, continuously progressing to become one of the strongest in the series. He has shown that he is capable of making informed technical decisions during testing, while his determination in short races is accompanied by intelligent management of longer races.These are all positive signs and this has convinced us that, together, we can take further steps forward and achieve even better results in the future. On behalf of Yamaha, but also on my part, I would like to thank Andrea for the trust he has shown in us.”
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