Pata Maxus Yamaha Previews its Ambitions for the Dutch WorldSBK Round at TT Circuit Assen

Pata Maxus Yamaha and the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship head towards Round 3 in the Netherlands, at TT Circuit Assen from 17-19 April, with the team’s highly motivated riders Andrea Locatelli and Xavi Vierge eager to get started.

The “Cathedral of Speed” holds special memories for Locatelli, who celebrated his maiden WorldSBK win at the famous circuit in 2025 in style, with an emphatic triumph in Race 2. The Italian is no stranger to the podium in Holland, having also collected his first podium in the premier class during his rookie season in 2021 and another two further rostrum visits along the way. 

Vierge, like teammate Locatelli, has extensive experience of Assen from his earlier riding career in the Moto2 World Championship as well as WorldSBK. Building on his strong adaptation to the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK with solid results in Portimão, the team’s Spaniard is looking forward to seeing what he can do at the venue that has been proven to suit the three-tuning fork marque in the past.

Beatriz Neila and Chloe Jones return for the second round of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship – where in 2025, Neila also stormed to her incredibly-popular first victory in WorldWCR on the same day as Locatelli’s maiden win.

The WorldSBK schedule on Friday starts with Free Practice 1 and 2 at 10:20 and 15:00 CEST as normal, while WorldWCR will run revised timings to allow for additional supporting classes during the weekend with Free Practice at 12:15 and Superpole later in the day at 16:55.

Xavi Vierge, Pata Maxus Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team:

“We will arrive in Assen this week – and maybe there will be some pressure on our shoulders after saying this – but, it’s one of the races in the calendar that stands out as a really strong circuit for Yamaha. In the past, the team has had some amazing results here and my teammate Loka has achieved podiums and victory last year, also Remy Gardner has been on the podium. It is a track that fits the characteristics of the R1 very well, so I am super excited to start, especially after a solid weekend in Portimão. It’s a track that also for my riding style I think is a good one, I’ve had many races here in WorldSBK but also in Moto2 in the past and I have good memories. It will be my first time with this bike, but I will work to adapt as quickly as possible to be competitive and try to learn from my teammate. I am looking forward to discovering how well this circuit suits the R1.”

Andrea Locatelli, Pata Maxus Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team:

“How could we not remember Assen as one of the best weekends of my life! To get the first victory in WorldSBK in 2025 was special, and for sure it’s an amazing track – flowing, fast, I love this type of circuit. This is a great memory but of course, we need to look forward to try to repeat again and to get good results. I want to be realistic as the first two rounds of this season have not been easy and I need to find a better feeling to be faster, but for sure we are working hard to try to maximise our package. The first thing will be to start well on Friday and push hard immediately, to take a good reference for the weekend and then we will see. I think the most important thing in this moment, is to try to rediscover the same speed and feeling like in the past, because then I am sure the results will come. The past results from Assen can give us some confidence to always believe in what we are capable of.”

Beatriz Neila, Ampito Crescent Yamaha (WorldWCR):

“It’s race week, this time in Assen and I’m looking forward to returning to the Netherlands again! It’s a super nice track, I like it a lot – and I’m looking forward to it because in Assen I won my first victory in this Women’s World Championship. We can enjoy and have fun like always, this is important to have a good flow and work together to fight for the podium – and to try to win again!”

Chloe Jones, Monster Energy Crescent Yamaha (WorldWCR): 

“I’m really excited to get back to Assen for the second round, it’s a circuit I know well and did quite well at last year. We did a test the other week and I’m really happy – the changes we made on my Crescent Yamaha R7 training bike gave me more confidence again and I’m looking forward to getting back on my race bike. We’ve made some changes within our team to help with my preparation, and I can’t wait – I’m ready to come back fighting!”