A season-best combined team qualifying set the stage for an epic battle for the podium for Pata Maxus Yamaha and its riders Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli at Donington Park, for Round 7 of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship today.
Rea led the charge in the first few laps of Race 1, from a super strong fourth-place qualifying at his and the team’s home event. An incredible launch from the second row saw the Northern Irishman as high as second in the opening corners, demonstrating clear aggression and determination fighting for his best result of the year.
Teammate Locatelli started from P6 on the grid and was also in the mix for the podium in the early stages as the two Pata Maxus Yamaha riders engaged in a five-bike battle for third. As the 23-lap feature developed, Locatelli led Rea, Scott Redding and Dominique Aegerter for most of the race, and was able to fend off the pressure from behind to bring his Yamaha R1 WorldSBK home just outside the podium positions in fourth.
Despite slipping back to sixth in the second half of the race, Rea dug in to move into the top five in the closing stages, securing a pass on Redding to take his best result of the year since returning from injury to cross the line in fifth place.
A positive start to the weekend gives the team high hopes ahead of Sunday’s two races, which get underway with the Superpole Race at 11:00 before the second 23-lap battle at 14:00 local time.
FULL SUPERPOLE RESULTS
FULL RACE 1 RESULTS
Andrea Locatelli – SP: P6 / Race 1: P4
Today was a really good race for me and the team. In the end, we started from sixth and finished fourth across the line. A few mistakes cost me the opportunity to stay closer to the front and fight for a podium finish, but we know what areas we need to build on. Overall, I’m happy with today’s efforts. We’ll focus on the positives, of which there are many and moved into tomorrow with the aim to fight for the podium again.
Jonathan Rea – SP: P4 / Race 1: P5
It’s been a really strong day for us! We struggled to find pace yesterday, so it was great to kick the day off with a strong Superpole session. We got a great race start, I got straight to the front and tried to maintain a rhythm. I struggled to keep the momentum going in the mid-part of the race, but I dug in to stay with Loka and Redding. I couldn’t get past Scott until two laps to go and then for the final lap, I knew I had to ride defensively to bring home a positive P5. Fifth still isn’t where we want to be, but it is my best result of the season so far and we will take that confidence into tomorrow. Thanks to the team for their hard work today, we can hope for more of the same tomorrow!
