MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship star Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) will get his first taste of the Suzuka 8 Hours this year after being selected to represent the Yamaha Racing Team squad, the official Yamaha team, at the iconic race. Locatelli, who has represented Yamaha in WorldSBK since 2021, will compete alongside Katsuyuki Nakasagu and four-time MotoGP race winner Jack Miller in Japan as they look to take Yamaha’s ninth win in the classic race.

Locatelli signed a new contract with Yamaha to take him until the end of the 2027 campaign, but he’s swapping blue for red-and-white in Japan as he looks to help take Yamaha’s first win at the Suzuka 8 Hours since 2018. The choice for Yamaha to take him comes off the back of Locatelli winning his first WorldSBK race at Assen in April and ‘Loka’ being a consistent contender for the top positions in WorldSBK. Most recently, he secured a podium on home soil at Misano.

The Italian’s first foray in the WorldSBK paddock was in 2020 when he was in WorldSSP and he dominated the season, before securing a switch to WorldSBK and was put straight into the factory Yamaha team. He quickly established himself as a consistent rider and, as the years progressed, became a regular podium challenger as well. This season, he was able to take his first win in WorldSBK

Discussing his debut at the Suzuka 8 Hours, Locatelli said: “For me, it is a pleasure to be invited to ride the Suzuka 8 Hours for Yamaha. For my whole WorldSBK career, I have been a Yamaha rider, and this is an honour, especially as I have just signed a new contract to extend my relationship with Yamaha. It means a lot to me for Yamaha to give me this opportunity; it has been something I have always wanted to do, but to do it with the Yamaha Factory Racing team is really special. Suzuka is an amazing track, and this is a new opportunity and experience for me, so I am very much looking forward to it. Thank you to Yamaha and all of the people working on this project, I can’t wait to go for the test and then the race as we look to achieve the best result for Yamaha in this important race.”

Tetsu Ono, General Manager in the Motorsport Strategy Division at Yamaha Motor Co. added: “First of all, I’m very happy to welcome Andrea to the team. Him joining completes the third piece of our puzzle, with all three riders bringing something unique to the team. Nakasuga has a wealth of experience on the R1, at the 8 Hours, and around Suzuka Circuit. Miller brings the passion and fighting spirit to fire up the team, and Locatelli has his signature consistency, along with a spirit of challenge and special motivation to take on his first 8 Hours. I’m sure that Team Manager Wataru Yoshikawa can combine the three riders’ strengths, and will add to that the potential of the YZF-R1 that’s been honed through All Japan competition, bringing it all together to get the best possible package to take on this year’s race. For the race on August 3, I think it will be just like Nakasuga said at the team launch in March, when he talked about going back to get our revenge for 2019 with a newly formed factory effort. We want to celebrate Yamaha’s 70th anniversary with an 8 Hours win, and to do it with our fans from all around the world. We’ll be counting on everyone’s cheers and support!”