Yamaha “did not fully exploit the potential of the bike” at Aragon WorldSBK

Yamaha at times showed good potential at the WorldSBK Aragon Round but ultimately scored disappointing results.

The best Yamaha could manage over the course of the three races at MotorLand was a ninth place from Andrea Locatelli in Race 2, while neither the returning Jonathan Rea nor GRT’s Remy Gardner could get into the top 10.

“We were pleased and happy to see Jonathan back on track this weekend, his injury has been healing quite well so while it has been tough on him, he has managed the situation well,” said Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing and Research and Development Manager, Andrea Dosoli following the Aragon Round, where Yamaha suffered especially in the final sector where the circuit’s longest straight is located.

“For sure we expected better results in WorldSBK this weekend, the reality is the results were lower than the potential expressed, mainly by Andrea Locatelli.

“WorldSBK is very competitive at the minute, as shown by Superpole with 13 riders within one second of each other, on one of the longest tracks on the calendar. When it is like this, you cannot afford to not be getting 100% out of your package.

“We did not fully exploit the potential of the bike this weekend. It is a matter of fact that we are clearly losing in one sector, but we also did not seem to be recovering the time lost in the sectors where the bike is strong, which we were able to do last year.

“We need to work with what is in our hands, we need to try to improve the package, especially in the areas where the R1 is known for being strong.

“There is work to be done to get 100% out of the current package, especially considering the current level of the class. We need to keep our heads down and work hard to improve the package overall.”

Dosoli believes that Yamaha’s race results are currently being hurt by poor qualifying. At MotorLand, the best Yamaha in Superpole was Andrea Locatelli in seventh place, 0.517 seconds off pole.

The Italian was the only Yamaha rider within one second of pole, with the next-best R1 of Jonathan Rea down in 13th and 1.060 seconds slower than the pole time.

"We need to improve our Qualifying performance, as even though the times were close at Aragon – a couple of tenths would have put Locatelli on the front row – we need to be quicker to improve the starting position.

“If we don’t have a good spot on the grid, the races are even more difficult and this was very much the case for Jonathan and Remy Gardner this weekend.”