The 2023 season is almost upon us and everything is, or almost, ready to start again. After the Jerez tests, the Superbike world championship went to Portimao for the last two days of testing before the departure for Australia. Against the backdrop of the Algarve, Yamaha unveiled what will be the weapons with which they will try to return to the top of the world in the championship that is about to begin.
So here is the R1 of Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andrea Locatelli, the line-up also confirmed for 2023 which will go in search of Alvaro Bautista. What immediately catches the eye is the 54 that returns to the windshield of the Turkish Yamaha. However, Toprak is determined to put back the number 1 that he wore in 2022 and which he had to give up after the Mandalika round. The goal this season is clear: to claim the title.
In terms of livery, however, there are no big news: blue and white stand out just like last year. The classic Yamaha colors are accompanied by Pata’s red, while Prometeon is added, which becomes one of the main sponsors and gives its name to the team, whose complete wording becomes “Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK”.
Lorenzo Baldassarri, Andrea Locatelli, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, Dominique Aegerter, Remy Gardener, Yamaha WorldSBK riders
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Photo on: Yamaha MotoGP
Lorenzo Baldassarri, Andrea Locatelli, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, Dominique Aegerter, Remy Gardener, Bradley Ray, Yamaha WorldSBK
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Photo on: Yamaha MotoGP
Lorenzo Baldassarri
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Photo on: Yamaha MotoGP
Remy Gardener, Dominique Aegerter
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Photo on: Yamaha MotoGP
The official team unveiled the actual livery, on the occasion of the event all the riders who will lead the “Yamaha armada” during the 2023 season in the Superbike world championship were presented. Not only Pata, there is also the GRT team with the two rookies Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner. Lorenzo Baldassarri, in the GMT94 team, is also ready to do battle, but we cannot forget Bradley Ray who will race with the Motoxracing team.
Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager, says: “For the first time, we will have six riders contracted directly by Yamaha representing our brand in the FIM Superbike World Championship, four of them world champions and one national champion. It’s a strong driver line-up, the strongest we’ve fielded since we returned to the championship in 2016, and our expectations are high going into the new season. With Toprak and Andrea, we have two experienced riders in the championship, while Remy brings a wealth of MotoGP experience with him.”
“Dominique, Lorenzo and Bradley are proof that our unique step-up programme, where Yamaha riders who excel internationally and domestically, have the opportunity to progress to WorldSBK. Investment in our riders has also been matched by investment in development, with the R1 improving in key areas, as demonstrated by the performance of all our riders in the recent Jerez tests. We are in a good position to fight for the world title once again, but we know we have to undo the mistakes that deprived us of important points last year and put together a perfect season. I thank our riders and wish them the best of luck for next season.”
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