Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK Fired Up for 2022 WorldSBK Title Defence Campaign
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK and its riders Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and Andrea Locatelli revealed their official colours for the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship today, as the team prepares to defend the ‘Triple Crown’ with two further days of pre-season testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from 25-26 March.
The two official Yamaha riders line up for their second season together as a formidable pair aboard the R1 WorldSBK. For Razgatlıoğlu, it will be his third year in Yamaha blue after a sensational 2021 season which saw the Turkish ace win 13 races, collect 29 podiums, three pole positions and seven fastest lap awards on his way to the Riders’ Championship title. The 25-year-old will compete with the coveted #1 on his R1 WorldSBK, also revealed for its inaugural outing today.
It will be a tough act to follow one of the most thrilling WorldSBK seasons of the sport’s history, but Yamaha Motor Research & Development Europe and the Crescent team have left no stone unturned during the winter in order to provide the best chance to defend the Riders’, Manufacturers’ and Teams’ Championships. A raft of upgrades introduced across engine and chassis components, as well as key electronics developments, will bolster the R1 WorldSBK’s well-rounded race package. Launched in its new colours with accents to reflect the latest production-based Yamaha R1, the 2022 Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK machine gives its riders enhanced overall performance compared to the 2021 title-winning racer.
Playing a key part in the team’s future success is 2021 Rookie of the Year Locatelli, who out-performed seasoned stalwarts of the series to finish fourth overall in the Riders’ Championship with incredible consistency throughout his first year in the premier class. The 25-year-old Italian achieved four podiums in total last year and is eager to deliver more – including challenge for his first WorldSBK race victory in 2022.
Pata Snack, a name that has become synonymous with Yamaha since its return to WorldSBK competition in 2016, continues for a seventh consecutive year as title sponsor, joined by financial forecasting software company Brixx displayed in its striking red. Motorcycle accident management specialists, McAMS has also become a Primary Partner of the team to further strengthen its title defence campaign.
The team would also like to welcome back and thank BMP Tappi, Semakin di Depan, Yamalube, Akrapovic, Hel Performance, Corpay and Breeze Motor Group, and extend a warm welcome to new key partners Pro-Bolt, industry leaders in premium fasteners, and OUTDO high performance motorcycle batteries.
Finally, Yamaha fans will not need to wait much longer to see their favourite protagonists turn a wheel in anger, with the first round of the season just around the corner in two weeks’ time from 8-10 April at MotorLand Aragon, following the official pre-season test at the same venue on 4-5 April.
Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK
“It is a pleasure to show off the new Yamaha WorldSBK colours for the 2022 season. Heading into this year’s racing has an extra special element as we line up as the defending WorldSBK Champions, but our goals remain the same – do our best, stay focused on what we can control and maximise our performance. Both Toprak and Loka have been working hard over the winter, Yamaha’s engineers have been completely committed, and the Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldBSK team has been fully engaged to finalise our competitive package both on and off the track. The entire project is very grateful for the support from our loyal partners, including Pata Snack and Brixx, the expanded support levels from McAMS, Hel Performance and Corpay, new partnerships with Pro-Bolt and OUTDO, and returning support from BMP Tappi, Semakin di Depan, Yamalube, Akrapovic, Breeze Motor Group and our many technical partners and long-time suppliers. We could not be in this position without this support, and we will do all we can to represent our partners and the Yamaha brand with another title challenge in 2022.”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu
“My team has done incredible work over the winter and I have enjoyed testing all the developments! The new R1 WorldSBK looks amazing and we are ready to start the new season. I always say, my approach is the same in this championship: to fight for race wins every time. I cannot wait to ride my bike this week in Barcelona, we will continue to work on the race package and try to improve after very good tests in Aragon and Portimão. It will also be good to see our competition for 2022, but our focus is inside the Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK pit box for these final days before the first race.”
Andrea Locatelli
“I am really excited to start racing again! It’s my second season in WorldSBK and also with Yamaha, so for sure we have higher objectives. Even with more experience, the focus remains on trying to improve every session towards being able to fight for the podium every weekend. This is our objective and I hope we can start well, from the first race until the last one! I want to try and win with the Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK team in 2022, because it is important for me and also for the team. We had such an amazing season last year, but I am ready to take the next step. The 2022 Yamaha R1 WorldSBK looks great, we have new colours on the bike but also some new developments and parts that we tried during testing this winter – now, we will finalise the package to use during the season. Yamaha has done a fantastic job around the bike to find improvements and we are almost ready to go!”
