Pata Maxus Yamaha Eager for Podium Performance at Emilia Romagna WorldSBK
Following a productive two-day test at Misano last month, Andrea Locatelli and Jonathan Rea are eager to put their respective performance findings to good use at Round 6 of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship, this weekend from 13-15 June.
The Pata Maxus Yamaha pair clocked up more than 300 cumulative laps over two days on the Adriatic Coast in Italy, despite inclement weather threatening to put a dampener on the pre-event preparations. No such drizzle is expected this week however, with temperatures forecast to reach highs of 30 degrees Celsius by Sunday. Generating rear grip in the hotter conditions will be the key to reaching the podium in the two main points-paying races.
In 2024, Locatelli had his best weekend at Misano since joining WorldSBK, with two super-strong fourth place finishes and fifth in Race 2. The Italian brings a strong desire to keep improving as a front-runner.
For teammate Rea, a positive test and continuous work off-track has all-but sealed his return to the premier class following his recovery from injury earlier his year. Both riders are aiming to put pen to paper on a possible podium fight on one of the most breath-takingly fast tracks on the calendar.
“As a circuit Misano has it all: hard braking, changes of direction, slow stuff and of course the incredible Curvone,” Yamaha’s Rider Coach Eugene Laverty explains. “Since the circuit was newly asphalted a few years ago, chatter has been a major factor to deal with but that aside it’s still a fantastic circuit to ride. Now it scares me to watch from the inside of Curvone and see the riders spinning the rear to turn the bike in fifth/sixth gear, but back when I was doing it myself everything felt under control! The first sector is very physical with so many changes of direction, combine that with the Adriatic summer weather and it makes for a tough race for the riders.”
Friday’s schedule begins as normal with Free Practice 1 at 10:35 CEST followed by Free Practice 2 in the afternoon from 15:00, both offering 45 minutes of track time to dial in.
Andrea Locatelli:
“I’m really happy to get back on track for the Misano race this weekend. After two positive days of testing on this circuit, we’re coming in with good feelings and a strong desire to keep improving. There’s still a lot of work to do, but we’re heading in the right direction. Together with the team, we’ll give it everything to have a great weekend and aim for the best possible result. With the Italian crowd cheering us on, it’ll be even more exciting – we’re going to have fun!”
Jonathan Rea:
“Really looking forward to Misano, we tested there a couple of weeks back and worked in a really good way – and of course, we need to keep making steps forward. Physically, I felt like I am getting back to 100% on my R1 and my consistency and tyre consumption was really, really strong. I just need to be a bit faster with fresh rubber and that’s something we will focus on. Misano as an event is fantastic, it’s the first real summer race that we’re going to face with high temperatures. Expecting a lot of Italian fans which is always very nice and I am excited to see what the weekend holds. We’re entering a part of the season where I can start getting back to my best: doing a good job for the team and all of our supporters!”
