Andrea Locatelli stormed to his first-ever WorldSBK race win for Pata Maxus Yamaha in Race 2 at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands, today.
The sensational success for the 28-year-old Italian came in one of the most thrilling races of the weekend – at a circuit that is known for its epic last-lap battles. With a positive P4 result from the Superpole Race this morning in damp conditions, “Loka” did everything right to put himself at the pointy-end in the battle for victory in the final WorldSBK feature race this afternoon, where a closely-matched group of seven riders vied for top honours at the Cathedral of Speed in front of nearly 59,000 fans.
Racing in the podium positions in the opening laps, along with GYTR GRT Yamaha compatriot Remy Gardner, Locatelli saw his first opportunity to hit the front of the race at the end of Lap 8. Nicolo Bulega made a pass a few laps later, but Pata Yamaha Maxus’ #55 rider had the speed and precision to create a gap to P3 and stay close to the leader as the laps ticked down. When Bulega suffered a technical issue with two laps remaining, the path was clear for the rider from Bergamo to further build his advantage to the chasing riders, sealing the deal on his first-ever win in the premier class.
Jason O’Halloran rounded out his second weekend in WorldSBK with two further solid race finishes, highest of P15 in the Superpole Race this morning, while gaining valuable data for Yamaha’s development programme and feeling more and more comfortable on the R1 WorldSBK with each passing lap.
Consistency and points are the name of the game across the season, with a tight fight starting to develop in the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship standings. Locatelli’s victory has enabled him to leapfrog Alvaro Bautista to take third place with a 21-point advantage, just eight points away from Toprak Razgatlioglu in second.
