Jason O’Halloran will stand in for the injured Jonathan Rea in the Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team for the second round of the FIM Superbike World Championship at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portimão next weekend.   The Australian rider joined the Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team for 2025 and is also set to begin a role as Yamaha’s WorldSBK test rider.   Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP test rider, Augusto Fernandez, who was initially slated to replace

Unpredictable weather conditions failed to get the better of the Pata Maxus Yamaha team as preparations for Round 2 of the FIM Superbike World Championship got underway with a two-day test at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portimão this week.   The test marked the first outing for Yamaha Factory Racing’s MotoGP test rider, Augusto Fernandez, as he prepares to stand in for Jonathan Rea for the second round of the series as the Northern Irishman continues to recover fr

Yamaha Motor Europe can confirm that Augusto Fernández will step in for the injured Jonathan Rea in the second round of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship at the Autodrómo Internacional do Algarve. Rea was ruled unfit for the opening round of the championship in Australia after a crash in the traditional pre-season test at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit left him with multiple fractures to his left foot. The Northern Irishman returned home to Belfast in the days

Andrea Locatelli fought hard to record two strong points-paying finishes of sixth and seventh place overall on the last day of competition at the opening round of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island, today. Aiming to improve his grid position in the 10-lap Superpole Race this morning, “Loka” battled like an animal to stay in touch with the podium group in front and to cross the line in a fine sixth position – to start on the second row in Race 2. Anoth

Sunday 22nd February - 08:00 (AEDT)  Jonathan Rea has undergone surgery to stabilise the foot injury sustained in his testing crash at Phillip Island earlier this week. In the opening day of the final test session at Phillip Island on Monday, Rea fell at turn two and sustained multiple fractures to his left foot. After treatment at the circuit medical centre and further scans and specialist consultation, Rea flew home to Belfast on Wednesday.  On Friday, he met with Dr Michae

The 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship got underway in earnest when the lights went out for Race 1 for Andrea Locatelli and Pata Maxus Yamaha at Phillip Island in Australia, today. With high hopes going into the weekend at his favourite circuit, “Loka” hoped to be part of the podium fight. But scorching temperatures and high winds at the ultra-fast island circuit made conditions challenging, and the 28-year-old Italian also had his work cut out for him starting from P8 on

The first Friday Free Practice sessions of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship are “in the books” for Andrea Locatelli and Pata Maxus Yamaha at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Australia. The 28-year-old Italian, lining up for his fifth season in the premier production racing class, completed long runs during both FP1 and FP2 in order to provide Yamaha’s Official Team with the best opportunity to refine his R1 WorldSBK to fight for the podium this weekend. Due to the

Pata Maxus Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli was sixth-fastest overall on the second day of the FIM Superbike World Championship Official Test at Phillip Island in Australia today, completing a final shakedown with the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK before the start of the 2025 season. Two smooth and largely problem-free test days provided a welcome return to the Italian rider’s favourite race track, where in 2024 Locatelli was tantalisingly close to taking his maiden WorldSBK win. The circuit h

Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team) will miss the opening round of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship after a crash on the first day of testing at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Rea fell on the exit of Turn 2 in the closing stages of Monday’s first two-hour test session. He was taken to the circuit medical centre, before being transferred to Cowes for further assessment where it was confirmed he had sustained multiple fractures to the left f

Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli finished the Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK winter test programme early at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (Portimão) today, as storms continue to lash the southern Iberian Peninsula. The 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship begins just around the corner in Australia next month, with many teams working to finalise their packages in Portimão during the last European test before the season opener. A window of clear, dry and sunny weather op

(click to view 2025 gallery) After uncovering the new-look 2025 PATA MAXUS YAMAHA R1 for the first time, Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli reveal their goals for this year’s FIM Superbike World Championship season – and reflect with Team Principal Paul Denning on the combined effort to return Yamaha to the top step of the podium. Under no illusion about the challenge ahead in the ultra-competitive championship, Yamaha Motor Europe, the team and its riders aim to fight back in

Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli undertook two days of pre-season testing at Circuito de Jerez, running a full day in “dry” conditions yesterday before continuing to work in the wet in preparation for the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship, today. On Day 1, Rea completed 50 laps as the Northern Irishman wasted no time getting back up to speed on the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK despite lingering damp patches in the morning and strong gusts of wind in the afternoon. The six-time Wor

Harris MAXUS, a brand of the leading commercial vehicle distribution company in the UK and Ireland, the Harris Group, is pleased to announce its new role as a major partner of the Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team for the 2025 and 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship.  The landmark partnership will unite cutting-edge automotive engineering with the world's most highly developed production motorcycles, showcasing the shared commitment of both MAXUS and the team to performance, in