TEAM NEWS

With the covers taken off the 2026 Pata Maxus Yamaha R1 WorldSBK, Andrea Locatelli and new-signing Xavi Vierge discuss this year’s FIM Superbike World Championship ambitions – alongside key insights from Team Principal Paul Denning. Yamaha Motor Europe and Crescent Yamaha’s impressive 11-year WorldSBK Official Team partnership continues to move from strength-to-strength, with the project-leading Motorsport Division at Yamaha R&D Europe’s campus in Gerno di Lesmo at the spearh

Andrea Locatelli and new Yamaha signing Xavi Vierge returned to the track for the first time in 2026 with two days of very mixed weather conditions in pre-season winter testing at Circuito de Jerez in Andalucia, Spain. Both riders sported one-off black, grey and blue camo-coloured test leathers, taking design cues from the 2026 Yamaha Racing Paddock Blue clothing range, as the final elements of this year’s R1 WorldSBK performance package come together. Vierge continued to get

Pata Maxus Yamaha’s 2026 riders Andrea Locatelli and Xavi Vierge completed two days of intensive on-track testing at Circuito de Jerez in Andalucia, Spain, today as winter preparation for the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship continues. With a solid two days under his belt on the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK, new signing Vierge finished the test with the second-fastest overall lap time of 1:38.058 and completed 132 Laps in total. It was a personal-best lap time for Vierge at Jerez

Straight after the final round of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship season finale, Pata Maxus Yamaha’s 2026 line-up of Andrea Locatelli and new signing Xavi Vierge took to the track to complete the first winter test in preparation for the new season. Vierge enjoyed his first day aboard the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK, adapting quickly following four years with his previous team to finish second-fastest overall with a lap time of 1:39.137 (61 Laps). Teammate Locatelli continued

Andrea Locatelli led the charge for Pata Maxus Yamaha on the final day of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship, giving his absolute maximum until the very end with a fine fourth place in Race 2 at Jerez in Spain today. Starting from ninth on the grid this morning, Locatelli made progress in the latter stages of the Superpole Race to finish P6 and secure a better start for the final race of the season. From the second row of the grid, he was able to climb to third positio

Pata Maxus Yamaha and Locatelli Salvage Seventh Place in Challenging Jerez Race 1 The penultimate race day of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship was not without its challenges, as Andrea Locatelli and Jonathan Rea contested Race 1 for Pata Maxus Yamaha at Circuito de Jerez in Spain today. Rea qualified strongly for Race 1 after posting the overall fourth-fastest lap time in Free Practice 3, lining up on the second row of the grid in sixth place. As the lights went out

Andrea Locatelli and Jonathan Rea started the final round of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship with Friday Free Practice at Circuito de Jerez in Spain today. The Pata Maxus Yamaha pair focused on race set-up for their respective Yamaha R1 WorldSBK machines, working to combat the October heat and find confidence in the Pirelli tyre options available for the main points-paying races this weekend. Both riders commented on front tyre feeling in particular and will work wi

Two more hard-fought top five results keep Pata Maxus Yamaha and Andrea Locatelli’s hopes of securing the bronze medal in the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship alive after the final day at Circuito Estoril, while teammate Jonathan Rea re-joined the battle at the front. Sunday’s 10-Lap Superpole Race this morning was another thrilling opportunity for the two Official Yamaha R1 WorldSBK riders to mount a challenge for the podium, as the close group vying for P3 once again w

Pata Maxus Yamaha’s riders Andrea Locatelli and Jonathan Rea both returned to the podium fight in Race 1 at Circuito Estoril, at the penultimate round of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship in Portugal today. An incredibly close Superpole qualifying, with Rea starting from P6 on the grid and Locatelli P8, set the stage for the duo to launch straight into the fight for the final podium position at the start of Race 1 this afternoon. Following the red-flagged race restart

Jonathan Rea picked up right where he left off from the last FIM Superbike World Championship round with strong top six pace in Friday Free Practice on the opening day at Circuito Estoril in Portugal today. Pata Maxus Yamaha’s riders Rea and Andrea Locatelli got to work to dial in their Yamaha R1 WorldSBK race machines to the shorter 4.182km circuit layout with two 45-minute sessions, under clear blue, sunny skies. Rea’s pace shows promising potential for the weekend ahead, w

Chamois, the UK-based specialist PR and marketing agency, is delighted to announce the establishment of an exciting new partnership with the Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team. The partnership places Chamois as Official Marketing and PR Partner for the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). The arrangement will combine Chamois’ PR and Marketing expertise together with the team’s legendary racing pedigree, to mutual benefit. As part of this partnership, Chamoi

As the end of an era, and the conclusion of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship draws closer, Pata Maxus Yamaha are ready to double down on the final two rounds of the season as the double-header of Estoril and Jerez kicks off this weekend in Portugal from 10-12 October. Six-time WorldSBK Champion Jonathan Rea understandably has mixed emotions as his full-time racing career draws to a close, but it’s clear that none of the fire that made the Northern Irishman successful

Pata Maxus Yamaha’s Jonathan Rea took a massive step forward on Sunday, fighting hard in the top group close to the podium in Race 2 at Aragon, as Round 10 of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship concluded in Spain today. In another rampant Superpole Race this morning, Rea netted a P8 and third-row start for the final race of the weekend to give himself the best opportunity to push for advantageous track position. With improvements to his Yamaha R1 WorldSBK set-up to man

Yamaha Motor Europe is pleased to announce Xavi Vierge will join the official Yamaha team in the FIM Superbike World Championship for the 2026 season.   The 28-year-old brings a wealth of experience to Yamaha’s WorldSBK project, having competed in the Moto2 Grand Prix World Championship and Superbike World Championship, achieving podium finishes in both categories.   Vierge will get a first taste of the R1 WorldSBK in Jerez following the final round of the 2025 season next mo

Pata Maxus Yamaha’s riders Andrea Locatelli and Jonathan Rea both made a valiant effort in face of difficult track conditions to bring home valuable points, in Race 1 of Round 10 of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship in Spain today. Arid Aragon’s abrasive asphalt surface and challenging mountain circuit layout lived up to its reputation. Qualifying alongside each other, Rea P8 and Locatelli P9 in the rapid Superpole session, gave the pair a solid opportunity to get goo

Andrea Locatelli finished fourth overall on Friday in a close fight for the top three positions, with Jonathan Rea just a couple of tenths back during Free Practice at MotorLand Aragon in Spain for Round 10 of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship. The Pata Maxus Yamaha riders built a solid base on which to tackle the weekend ahead, utilising Friday’s two 45-minute sessions to log data in preparation for the main points-paying races on Saturday and Sunday. Further refinem

Andrea Locatelli and Jonathan Rea are ready to take on one of the more challenging and technical circuits on the calendar, MotorLand Aragon, this weekend for Round 10 of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship from 26-28 September.   The highest point of the Spanish circuit lies 50m above the start-finish straight, a climb that steeply drops down the “Corkscrew” of Turns 8 and 9, a 7.2% gradient descent. Yamaha Rider Coach Eugene Laverty offers keen insight into Aragon’s 5.

Jonathan Rea led the charge at Magny-Cours for Pata Maxus Yamaha today with a fight for the podium in Race 2, while teammate Andrea Locatelli dug deep to recover strongly from the back of the grid and bank valuable points for the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship in France. From P13 on the grid, the team’s Northern Irishman fought through to seventh in the Superpole Race this morning to earn himself a well-deserved opportunity to take the bull by the horns in the final fe

Starting from the last row of the grid was “sans problème” for Pata Maxus Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli, after a crash on his first timed lap of qualifying saw him severely disadvantaged for Race 1 at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, for Round 9 of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship in France today. The high-speed crash in this morning’s Superpole meant the 28-year-old Italian lost the opportunity to start on the front row, as his pace on Friday and in Free Practice 3 had po

Starting strong on Friday, Andrea Locatelli finished third-fastest and Jonathan Rea seventh overall during Free Practice at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for Round 9 of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship. After torrential rain yesterday, the weather brightened for the first day on track following the summer break, with two 45-minute Free Practice sessions to dial in the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK to the 4.411km French venue. Locatelli quickly built his pace today, with a clear