Razgatlioglu, Yamaha officially unveil new #1, Locatelli 'ready for next step'
Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andrea Locatelli took part in their second Pata Yamaha team presentation as teammates, ahead of a 2022 WorldSBK campaign which will see them attempting to retain all three championships.
Winners of the riders’, teams’ and manufacturers’ titles, Yamaha will have a tough task on their hands as Ducati and Kawasaki are expected to be their main challengers once again.
But with Razgatlioglu looking as impressive as ever during pre-season testing - both riders will be in action during today’s first of two days testing in Barcelona - the current world champion is the clear favourite to repeat his 2021 success.
With new electronics upgrades providing even more performance to an R1 that was arguably the best bike on the grid, it’s no surprise Razgatlioglu is keeping the same mindset as last season.
Speaking ahead of the Barcelona WorldSBK test, Razgatlioglu said: "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 Portimao.
"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."
On the other side of the Pata Yamaha garage is 2021 rookie sensation Andrea Locatelli, who after a strong pre-season too, has confirmed that expectations for year-two are considerably higher.
"I am really excited to start racing again!" added Locatelli. "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 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!"
