With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returning to action at the TT Circuit Assen for the Pirelli Dutch Round, it gave one rider a chance to continue their incredible form from the start of the season and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) took that opportunity with both hands. He claimed a Race 2 podium with third place in the Netherlands, but he also extended his run of top-five finishes in 2023 to nine; the only rider to have scored a top-five finish every race this season.

Assen has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for Locatelli in his three WorldSBK campaigns. It was the scene of his first podium in 2021, when he took third in Race 2 and he recorded his joint-best WorldSBK result in Race 2 last year when he took second place. This year, he continued his run of podiums at Assen with third, also in Race 2, making it three podiums from visits to the iconic Dutch Circuit.

Reflecting on his podium finish, Locatelli said: “I’m really happy about Race 2, to be honest, because to go back home without a podium here from Assen would’ve been a bit sad! We need to be really happy and I’m also proud of the job we did this weekend. The conditions were really difficult. We didn’t find good grip on the rear. We need to understand a little bit more but, in the end, we got another podium, so we have to be happy. We got a lot of points for the Championship. It was a really good result, there were no mistakes, we need to continue this work and then we will see what we can do for the future. I’m really happy.”

Locatelli endured a difficult 2022 season but had an uptick in form in the final two rounds with six consecutive top-five finishes including one podium. That form has continued throughout 2023 where he has another nine top-five finishes to his name, making it 15 in a row, including four podiums. This podium tally matches his 2021 total, his best in WorldSBK, and is double that from 2022. However, Locatelli is still chasing his first race win in WorldSBK.

Looking ahead to potentially fighting for victories soon, Locatelli said: “At this track, we know we are really fast and have really high confidence. This week, especially, was a bit tricky for me with the rear grip. In the beginning of the race, it was really difficult to push. Honestly, I lost a little bit with the front group. But then I found a good rhythm and I could push. I don’t know why but we need to understand what happened, especially in the beginning. This was the biggest problem we found during this weekend. We need to adjust only this part and then we can be ready to push hard and to fight more with the front group. For us, it’s very important to try and start from the front row because, especially in the beginning, it’s not easy.”

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