Saturday was a day of highs and lows for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha). The Italian rider started both literally and metaphorically cold, crashing out and was unable to record a flying lap in the brisk morning Tissot Superpole session. However, as the track warmed up, so did ‘Loka’, taking on the afternoon’s Race 1 from the second-to-last grid position yet charging up the timesheet undeterred to land a P5 finish. The result spells the #55’s fifteenth top five finish of the season, and his tenth in a row.

KNUCKLING DOWN: “The rhythm was there, and I tried to start recovering positions as quickly as possible”

Locatelli certainly had the odds stacked against him as he took to the track in Saturday’s Race 1, having crashed in the morning’s Superpole session, his team was unable to recover his bike in time, meaning the Italian saw the lights go out in Race 1 from the second to last grid position, ahead of only fellow Superpole crasher, Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team). Despite his lowly starting position, the #55 made short work of the grid ahead of him, finishing the 21-lap contest in fifth place.

“I never expected to finish in the top five today after the crash on my first flying lap. I was lucky to be in one piece; it was a big crash, and for sure, it was good luck that I wasn’t hurt at all. I got a bit lucky in the race, as several riders in front of me crashed, but I think the rhythm was there, and I tried to start recovering positions as quickly as possible. I think I need to be happy because after missing the Superpole, it’s not easy to come back. I’m quite happy; it was a strong race to finish in P5. Let’s see tomorrow. Only 10 laps in the Superpole Race, I hope I can get up to the top nine places.”

TAKING A TUMBLE: “It all happened very fast. I’m still not sure what happened. It was a strange crash”

While conditions on Friday and Saturday at Magny-Cours have been much better than what was seen in 2024, brisk morning air was still clinging to the track’s surface at the outset of the Tissot Superpole session. Locatelli credits this as one of the factors that led to his tumble into the gravel. His team was unable to fix his bike in time to set a lap time, but ‘Loka’ seemed to enjoy the recovery ride, a sure confidence boost for the weekend’s two remaining races.

On his Superpole crash and Race 1 recovery ride, Locatelli said: “It all happened very fast, I’m still not sure what happened, it was a strange crash. I was about to release the brake on Turn 3, and the only thing I was thinking was that while it was a good temperature in the air, the track temperature was still a bit cold. Probably when I arrived, I pushed down the front too quickly and lost the front. It was strange, I didn’t feel that again, but sometimes this happens. Unfortunately, it was at the start of the Superpole, but the comeback was good fun. It’s simpler to start on the front to try to stay with the front group, but I believed in myself and recovered quite well. It was an odd race because so many riders crashed, but I enjoyed it.”

Can Locatelli work the same magic in Sunday’s Tissot Superpole Race? Tune in and find out at 11:00 (Local time UTC +2) with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 50% off!