Yamaha has adopted the adage that in the absence of a thrush you have to settle for a blackbird, taking less than 24 hours to console itself for the failure of the negotiations which were to renew the lively Toprak Razgatlioglu in its ranks. Andrea Dosoli's men are still making an announcement so as not to remain in failure for too long by confirming their second driver until 00, Andrea Locatelli, who was also just waiting for that...
Supersport World Champion, but also still currently third in the WSBK championship, Andrea LocatellI am now assured of a certain serenity in a career that will be made as an official pilot Yamaha until 2025. " It is a great pleasure for me to announce that we will work with Andrea Locatelli for another two years, in line with Yamaha's vision of cultivating talent and building long-term relationships with our riders ", said Andrea Dosoli the man in charge of these files for Yamaha Europe.
« Our adventure with Andrea began in 2020 when he dominated the Supersport World Championship aboard our R6. His performance in 2021, when we took him to World Superbike, was equally impressive and he finished the season fourth and Rookie of the Year. We have seen Andrea mature as a driver and continue to develop to the point where he is now one of the strongest in the series. He has demonstrated his ability to make informed technical decisions during testing, while his determination in the short races is matched by his intelligent management in the longer main races. These are all good signs and have convinced us that together we can go further and achieve even better results in the future ».
Andrea Locatelli: “ if continuity is the key, then I think that with this extension we have laid the foundations with Yamaha for a bright future »
The 26-year-old driver added: “ my goal was to continue with Yamaha. So I'm very happy to have signed for another two years. One of the best things about Yamaha is the people who believe in me: starting with Eric DeSeynes, Paolo Pavesio and Andrea Dosoli, but also Riccardo Tisci and all the engineers and technicians who work so hard to give me the best possible bike. The same goes for the team ».
« Since arriving in World Superbike, I have received incredible support from Paul Denning and Andrew Pitt and everyone involved in the project. Overall, we had good results, but more importantly, we traveled a path side by side that made me feel more and more confident. We can still improve in many areas, but I firmly believe that with such a good relationship, we become stronger together. If continuity is key, then I think with this extension we have laid the foundation for a bright future ».
As mentioned on the site wsbk.com, summarizing the transfer market so far, Locatelli becomes the fourth factory driver confirmed on the grid for 2024 and the first for Yamaha . While his teammate Toprak leaves for BMW at the end of the year, the two-year contract of Locatelli, taking him until 2025, means he will be the factory driver Yamaha oldest in consecutive seasons, with Noriyuki Haga (2005 - 2008), alex lowes (2016 – 2019), Michael van der Mark (2017 – 2020) and the current pilot Toprak Razgatlioglu (2020 – 2023) which hold the record for four seasons, while 'Loka' is set for five. Jonathan Rea, Alvaro Bautista, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) are the only other drivers confirmed on the grid in 2024, but Locatelli is the first signed for 2025. The big question now is who his teammate will be…
