While race victories have been shared between Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) so far in the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, one rider has been impressing with his strong pace and consistency this season. Andrea Locatelli, teammates to Razgatlioglu, as the only rider to record a top-five finish in every race and challenging for podiums consistently. However, one thing still remains out of reach for the Italian is his first WorldSBK victory and he recently sat down to discuss the 2023 season, his strong start, aiming for a victory and his future.

BOUNCING BACK: difficult 2022, excellent start to 2023…

Locatelli is now in his third season in WorldSBK after he took the WorldSSP title in 2020 in dominant fashion with 12 wins in 15 races. Promoted to the factory Yamaha seat for 2021, he took four podiums in his first season and helped Yamaha to the Manufacturers’ Championship while Pata Yamaha took the Teams’ Championship and Razgatlioglu won the Riders’ Championship. Locatelli was fourth and finished as the highest-placed rookie. 2022, however, proved to be more challenging with only two podium finishes and a mid-season results slump. He ended the season strongly in Indonesia and Australia, with top-six finishes throughout, and has continued that run after three rounds in the 2023 season.

Looking back on 2022 and the start to his 2023 campaign, Locatelli said: “2022 was really difficult for me. Sometimes we lost the base setup a little bit, sometimes I lost the feeling with the bike a little bit. Now, I think we have a really good base setup. I have more experience so I can manage this situation, and this is the big improvement. 2023 started in a very good way. We scored some podiums and I’m really happy. It’s my third year in WorldSBK and I want to try to beat a little bit faster and closer to the front guys and to fight for the podium in every race. The focus during winter was important. We worked very well with Yamaha, we tried new parts on the bike, and we started the season in a very good way. I think I’m having my best year in WorldSBK and in my life.”

THE NEXT GOAL: a race win for Locatelli

Four podiums in three rounds in 2023 has Locatelli sitting third in the Riders’ Championship, 14 points behind teammate Razgatlioglu. He has already equalled his podium count from his rookie season and doubled it from last year with the majority of the season to go. He is yet to stand on the top step of the podium but, in 2023, has generally been closer to the race winner than in his previous two seasons. Locatelli will be hoping to claim his first victory in WorldSBK sooner rather than later.

Outlining his further goals, Locatelli said: “I think we made a really good step with the bike and I made a step with the feeling. I want to try to be in front in every weekend. The target is to continue in this way to get more podiums. I would like to win a race! What’s missing is difficult to say because I’m fighting with strong riders like Bautista, Jonny, Toprak and other riders. It’s never easy. I try to be ready in every weekend because, maybe, one time we have a good situation, a good opportunity, so we need to be ready to be there to fight for the win. The gap is not too far from first place. I’m ready and I’ll try to fight in every weekend to be fast and then, I think, we can get the first win.”

THE FUTURE: looking at 2024 and beyond

Locatelli has spent three seasons with the Pata Yamaha squad since winning the WorldSSP title and has had Razgatlioglu as his teammate in that period with the pair often seen working together in free practice sessions as well as the Tissot Superpole session. Talk about the future is already beginning in WorldSBK with pretty much the entire grid out of contract at the end of the 2023 season, including Locatelli and Razgatlioglu.

Locatelli addressed his future in the interview and also spoke about his relationship with Razgatlioglu, saying: “I think it’s a bit early to speak about the future now. We have a lot of races to come. The first part of the season started very well so this is one point for me. We will see what happens. In my mind, I don’t have anything; just keep working and try to get more podiums and try to be fast on track. With Toprak, we have a special relationship inside the box. From the first day, we were always working together. We will see what happens but if Toprak stays with me in Yamaha, I’ll be really happy. In any case, I need to be focused on my objectives and on my side and working with my group.”

Will Locatelli take his maiden WorldSBK victory this season? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!