Andrea Locatelli and Yamaha Motor Europe have reached an agreement for the Italian to continue with Yamaha’s official team in the FIM Superbike World Championship in 2026 and 2027.
The agreement will see Locatelli become one of the longest serving Yamaha WorldSBK riders in history as he enters his sixth and seventh seasons with Yamaha in the Superbike World Championship, with only the legendary Noriyuki Haga having spent more time racing for Yamaha in the premier class of production racing.
The 2025 season has seen Locatelli enjoy his strongest start to a WorldSBK championship aboard the R1 to date with three podium finishes from the first five rounds including a remarkable debut victory with Pata Maxus Yamaha at the TT Circuit Assen. The 28-year-old currently sits fifth in the championship standings ahead of Round 6 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli next month.
Locatelli first joined Yamaha in the Supersport World Championship in 2020, where he dominated with the Evan Bros Racing team to clinch the world title in his rookie season. He moved up to WorldSBK for 2021 with the official Yamaha team where he has remained since, scoring 20 WorldSBK podium finishes including his Assen victory.
Andrea Locatelli
“I am really happy to sign with Yamaha for another two years. I have been with Yamaha for many years now, and I believe in the team, I believe in the people at Yamaha and want to continue to work, because I feel that we can achieve a lot more together. The people at Yamaha believe in me and this is important. Our approach will be to continue to push and try and make progress, just like we have seen this season. And of course, before 2026, our focus is on securing the best result possible in 2025!”
Niccolò Canepa, Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Sporting Manager
“Having been with us for six years now, Andrea has become a true part of the Yamaha Racing family. His performances have been impressive since his rookie season and it has always felt like he has been on an upward trajectory in WorldSBK, as evidenced this season where he’s taken a real step forward to become not just the established leading Yamaha rider in the championship, but also a regular front-runner and podium contender. Keeping hold of him for the future was a priority for us as we look to take the next step with the R1 in WorldSBK, and we are pleased to have reached an agreement that will see him become one of the longest serving Yamaha riders in WorldSBK history.”
