LOCATELLI OPENS UP – "This year I’ve been focused on myself, on my bike, working hard and not thinking about the results too much"
Andrea Locatelli became WorldSBK’s newest race winner after winning Race 2 at Assen, and he spoke about that plus many other topics
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship welcomed a new member to the winners’ circle at the TT Circuit Assen when Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) claimed victory in Race 2. Since then, he has spoken in-depth about that first win, 2025 as a whole and much more in a special sit-down interview which you can watch at the top of this page.
VICTORY AT LAST: “I’ll keep pushing like this and try to do more”
Locatelli’s win came in his 154th WorldSBK race, meaning he broke the record for most races before claiming a first win, with the previous record held by Chris Walker at 131. It had been a long time coming for ‘Loka’ after making his WorldSBK debut in 2021 with the Pata Maxus Yamaha squad; he’s been with the team throughout his career. The win came after a technical issue for Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) with just a couple of laps to go, with Locatelli able to take advantage of his rival’s misfortune to claim a first WorldSBK win.
“Finally, we got the first victory at Assen in Race 2,” began Locatelli when discussing the win. “I think it’s a good moment for me, my career, the whole team because we were believing for many, many years. With Yamaha, we never lost the focus. We were working really hard every weekend and finally at Assen, we got my first victory. I think we deserved it, and it was a good moment, especially at this point in the season. I want to continue to trust and push hard because I need more. I feel like I’m a bit angry, so I’ll keep pushing like this and try to do more. This was quite strange because I saw he was slowing down after the finish line. I was thinking that he thinks we’ve already taken the chequered flag, because in the past, we’ve seen some races where this happened. I didn’t lose my focus. I was behind him and pushing full throttle until the end, because Bautista pushed me all race.”
ALWAYS BELIEVING VICTORY WOULD COME: “I never stopped believing that I had the possibility to win a race”
You could forgive a rider for thinking the win might never come after so many races pass, but the #55 revealed he never gave up. He came close at Phillip Island in 2024, fighting with Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) on the final lap before crashing at Turn 4, but perhaps a change of mentality for 2025 helped Locatelli finally achieve the first win.
Discussing how he always believed in the chance to win, the Italian said: “I didn’t already feel like a winner, but I was always believing that I could do it. I missed the possibility to win a race at Phillip Island, so I never stopped believing that I had the possibility to win a race. I was never thinking about it but a bit stressed to get podiums or try to win a race. I don’t know why, this year I’ve been focused on myself, on my bike, working hard and not thinking about the results too much. What happens, you’ll never know. When I arrived at Assen, I never thought I’d be able to have a weekend like that. I want to continue on this path. No pressure and just focus on my work and I think we can get more victories and more podiums for sure.”
YAMAHA’S PROGRESS: “We brought a small piece, but we brought big things to help us on the track”
After a win-less 2024 campaign, Yamaha came back strongly at the start of the 2025 season. Although Phillip Island was tough, Locatelli was on the podium at Portimao before winning at Assen and he was the only rider to score points in the first nine races of the season, a streak that ended with a Race 1 fall at Cremona. A superconcession chassis was introduced at Portimao, seemingly helping Locatelli make a step forward.
On Yamaha’s progress, Locatelli stated: “Before the start of the season, we couldn’t really try all the pieces we wanted to bring on track to make a step on the bike. Immediately after Phillip Island, we understood what we needed, and the Yamaha guys worked really hard. They tried to make a step with the superconcessions. We brought a small piece, but that brought big things to help us on the track, and I think the results speak for themselves. Step by step, we worked to be there with a good package at the moment. I don’t think it’s enough to win all the races, but we’re at a good point, I have a good feeling on the bike, and I want to trust this and keep working hard.”
THE FUTURE: “We need to look at everything and understand which is the best option for me and my future”
Like most of the WorldSBK grid, Locatelli’s contract with Yamaha expires at the end of the season after he penned a two-year deal that covered the 2024 and 2025 seasons. ‘Loka’ spoke about how much Yamaha have helped him in his career, from winning the 2020 WorldSSP title in dominant fashion on the Yamaha R6 to five years in WorldSBK on the Yamaha R1, where he’s scored 21 podiums for the Japanese brand.
Discussing his future, Locatelli said: “When I arrived at Yamaha, I think my life changed a bit because I immediately won WorldSSP in 2020. We built my career with Yamaha, so I’d like to continue with them and maybe one day, be someone important for Yamaha. I feel like we have this possibility with Yamaha but, at the same time, I need to look at my career. We need to look at everything and understand which is the best option for me and my future. At the moment, I only want to think about riding the bike, giving my all, and winning with Yamaha.”
Watch Locatelli strive to keep his good form rolling at Most for the Motul Czech Round! The weekend of May 16-18th will hold the next installment of WorldSBK action, Stream it live or on demand with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 30% off!
