PATA PROMETEON YAMAHA GOES “ALL IN” FOR 2024

Pata Prometeon Yamaha has unveiled its 2024 R1 WorldSBK livery, as leading title contenders Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli eagerly anticipate the start of this year’s FIM Superbike World Championship.

Rea’s move to Yamaha has been widely covered since news broke of his first change in manufacturer in nearly a decade. The six-time WorldSBK Champion has made no secret of his desire to claim a seventh title ­– this time boldly sporting Yamaha “Racing Blue”. Teammate “Loka” has also established himself as a clear contender for podiums – and his first race win – returning for a fourth season in the Official Yamaha Team.

Despite the incredible depth of talent in the 2024 premier class entry list, JR and Loka, with the Pata Prometeon Yamaha and Yamaha Motor Europe Motorsport R&D teams behind them, are aiming once again to compete for the “Triple Crown”. As Team Principal Paul Denning describes, it will be one of the most exciting and intriguing seasons in WorldSBK history.

Fighting for a World Title is no easy feat without dedicated, loyal partnerships. For the ninth straight season, Italy’s number one snack manufacturer Pata, owned by Remo Gobbi, is Title Sponsor – joined by Co-Title Sponsor Prometeon, as the innovative truck, bus and agricultural tyre company seeks to build its global brand awareness and identity.

The team also welcomes Monster Energy back to Yamaha within the WorldSBK arena, alongside Official Technology Partner Ampito Group and long-term Official FX Partner Corpay. Valuable support to the programme is delivered by a wide variety of key partners including Yamaha Indonesia and its “Semakin Di Depan” message, Akrapovic, Pro-Bolt, Hel Performance, GB Racing, Solace Cyber, Minoli Tiles, GP Titan Tech, Ferodo, WRS and Sapphire Vehicle Services. Two further new brands join with strategic partnerships including Total Energies as the team’s technical fuel supplier and SRG – Specialist Risk Group as Official Insurance Partner.

Pre-season testing continues with two days at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (Portimão, Portugal), before the season-opener in Australia at Phillip Island from 23-25 February after one final test.

Jonathan Rea:

“I am just excited to start the season now! The transition into the Yamaha Family has been a really smooth one and throughout winter testing we’ve been working hard on getting comfortable on my R1, exploring the limits and understanding the work we need to do to start the season. It’s getting very close to Phillip Island, a track I really enjoy and the target is to try to enjoy the bike every weekend – to exploit all its strengths – and for sure the goal is to be competitive and fight for race wins. I am curious to see our full potential in Australia, but just now after the Pata Prometeon Yamaha team photoshoot in my new colours, everything is real! I really feel like a Yamaha rider now and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do together.”

Andrea Locatelli:

“It’s my fourth season with Yamaha in 2024, and I am more motivated than ever. With the team around me, I think we can do a really good job this season. We work really hard over the winter to continue to develop the R1 and also for myself, I need to trust and believe in myself and for sure, we are nearly there! The goal is not only to fight for the podium, it is to be at the front and fight for the win – we were closer than ever in 2023, and I am ready to take the next step. The new colours look amazing, I think it is the best Pata Prometeon Yamaha R1 this season. I would like to thank the team and Yamaha for everything they do, the whole team is always pushing to work on all the details together to have the best package for us. I really like Phillip Island and after two more days at Portimão this week, I think we can start very well in Australia!”

Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK:

“2024 looks set to become the most intense and intriguing season of WorldSBK competition ever, with an incredibly strong depth of talent throughout the field. It also sees one of the most exciting changes in Yamaha’s WorldSBK rider line-up, as Jonathan clearly reconfirms his ambition to fight for yet another World Title by committing to our team, and joining Andrea on the Pata Prometeon Yamaha R1. With the 2024 livery now revealed, seeing “JR” in Yamaha blue with his number 65 proudly adorning the R1 makes it feel very “real”! This is a new and exciting journey and one which we approach with full commitment on all fronts. It was not an easy process to arrive at this point and I want to thank Jonathan for his commitment and trust in making this bold step across to Yamaha – it’s definitely going to be exciting!

Andrea is ready to go to the next level and to challenge for victories – he’s already won a World Title on the R6 and clearly shown that he has speed and consistency on the R1 – now is the time to truly believe in his own talent in order to achieve his dream. He has a great team around him and all the tools needed to push towards the top step of the podium. With Phillip Island being one of his favourite circuits, aiming to win will be everyone’s target right from the start.

As we enter this new season, I would like to thank every one of our team members and all the staff at Yamaha Motor Europe Motorsport R&D for their efforts to keep us at the top level. We need to start the year strongly and deliver a “perfect season” as a team – it won’t be easy, but we are committed to the target. We have an excellent opportunity with two clear days forecast in Portimão to help finalise our 2024 package before leaving for Australia. Finally, a huge thank you to every one of our partners for trusting in Yamaha, the team and the WorldSBK platform to promote their businesses and brands in 2024. We will continue to make every effort to deliver value and to create new opportunities as the season develops – we look forward to welcoming you all to enjoy the races!”