Italian rewarded for recent great form
Following his impressive performances as a rookie in the 2021 FIM Superbike World Championship, Yamaha has confirmed that Andrea Locatelli will remain on a Yamaha until at least the end of the 2023 season.
Locatelli has enjoyed a sensational first season in the WorldSBK championship, which sees him now sit fourth in the standings heading into the final five rounds. After four race weekends where he continued to get to grips with the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK, the Italian’s breakthrough weekend came at the TT Circuit Assen, where he scored his first podium finish.
Andrea Locatelli
“I’m really happy to be extending my contract with Yamaha for two more years. For me, it’s a great opportunity. We have a really good group, a good team and a good bike, so I think in the future we can do very well. I’m so excited to be here and to continue to be a part of the Yamaha family. I’d like to say a special thanks to Andrea Dosoli, Eric de Seynes [Yamaha Motor Europe President & CEO], and everyone at Yamaha for giving me this opportunity. Now, we have two more years to try to improve together and achieve the best possible results.”
Since the Dutch round, the 24-year-old is yet to finish outside the top four with further podiums coming at Most and, most recently, Magny-Cours. His performances had already triggered a clause in his contract seeing him remain with Yamaha for 2022, but both the manufacturer and rider are keen to continue this relationship into 2023, where Yamaha hopes to help him challenge for race wins and championship titles.
Andrea Dosoli – Yamaha Motor Europe, Road Racing Manager
“We are delighted to confirm that Andrea will remain with the Yamaha family until at least the end of the 2023 WorldSBK season. He has been an integral part of Yamaha’s step-up program, and has demonstrated what our vision has been over the last few years. We expected that ‘Loka’ would be fast this year, but very few anticipated that he would already be challenging for podiums at such an early stage in his WorldSBK career. We want to secure him for the future and help guide him towards even greater success, and this new contract will give us the best opportunity to help him achieve that.”
Locatelli stepped up to the 2021 WorldSBK grid following a record-breaking FIM Supersport World Championship campaign that saw him take 12 victories and the title, which he clinched with three rounds to spare in Barcelona. His climb from WorldSSP rookie to WorldSBK front-runner perfectly represents Yamaha’s step-up program and its commitment to giving young riders the opportunity to realise their potential. Locatelli’s crew chief is Australian Andrew Pitt.
Source: MCNews.com.au