Certainly, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) only came close to perfection that Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has reached his role as teammate, but the Italian rider of the Yamaha WorldSBK team leaves Australia in 2nd position in the general classification of the FIM Superbike World Championship!
To aim for a world title, all drivers know: they have little room for error. We had another good example of this this weekend on the Phillip Island circuit where, behind a Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) absolutely imperial, Andrea Locatelli reaps the benefits of very good consistency and lifts his Yamaha YZF-R1 to second place in the championship.
The Lombard had set the tone from FP1 which he finished in 2nd position before falling in FP2 and dropping to 7th, then 12th at the end of FP3. The Superpole saw him qualify 9th on the grid but he finished Race 1 just off the podium, just behind his teammate Toprak Razgatlıoğlu.
On Sunday, number 55 concluded the Superpole race 5th in a very lively group, before getting on the podium at the end of race 2, thus concluding a very solid and less eventful weekend than its box companion.
Finally, Andrea Locatelli is the one who does best behind the inaccessible Alvaro Bautista, before heading straight to Mandalika where, last year, he shared the podium with his teammate, after making his first front row start in WorldSBK.
Andrea Locatelli : " It was an interesting day of racing for us! In Race 2 we were closer to the front in the first part, especially the first five laps, but we knew it was a bit difficult trying to follow the Ducati on this circuit. We were competitive to also be on the podium this morning, but I couldn't make the overtakes necessary to be there in the Superpole race as well. I'm really happy to end the weekend with a podium in the long race, especially at Phillip Island, because it's something special. I'm really proud of my team because we worked well during testing and also during the race weekend. Unfortunately we crashed during FP2, and maybe we lost a bit of feeling, especially at the front, but I think it's probably one of the best weekends of my WorldSBK career so far . Next week we have a new opportunity and we can't wait to go to Mandalika to see what's happening there. Thanks to Yamaha and my team for giving me a great bike and such great support. »
Paul Denning, Team Director: “ Three races here at Phillip Island in completely different conditions and three podiums for the team including a well deserved third place for Loka in race 2. He has worked hard all winter with his team to improve the bike and his own confidence : he begins to believe in himself and to feel that he deserves to race at the top of WorldSBK. His performance throughout the weekend, and particularly this afternoon, showed that this growing confidence is certainly not misplaced. Congratulations to Andrea, her team leader Andrew Pitt and the whole team for this very good start to the season. Now we head to Mandalika where both drivers were strong last year and Toprak won all three races. We intend to start closing the gap at the top of the championship next weekend! »
WSBK Superbike Phillip Island Superpole Course: classification
WSBK Superbike Phillip Island Race 2: standings
Credit rankings: WorldSBK.com
