Pata Maxus Yamaha looking forward to another successful round in Italy.

Pata Maxus Yamaha welcomes back its full WorldSBK line-up of Andrea Locatelli and Jonathan Rea in Cremona this weekend for Round 4 of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship, at the Italian Round from 2-4 May. 

Fresh from his first victory in, Locatelli brings positive momentum to his local race – taking place just 100km from his hometown in the province of Bergamo. The Italian rider is hungry to fight for the podium for the chance to celebrate with his incredibly enthusiastic fanbase, and add to his impressive run as the only WorldSBK rider to score championship points in all nine races held so far.

Rea returns after consultation with his medical team in Northern Ireland, travelling to Cremona with the intention of riding pending official review with the FIM Medical Director on Thursday. “JR” has left no stone unturned in his efforts to recover as quickly as possible from the injuries sustained to his left foot during the WorldSBK Phillip Island Official Test in February. “Cremona is a circuit that I haven’t ridden myself, but I have studied closely what is important for the riders during testing and the races last season,”

Yamaha’s Rider Coach Eugene Laverty explains. “There are so many changes in direction, more than any other circuit on the calendar, so you really want an agile bike because that’s where a lot of the lap time will be made. It’s very much like a super moto track, where it’s a matter of getting the bike in and standing up out of the corner quickly. Last year’s WorldSBK race winner has a very small entry arc, and being able to economise the amount of track used will be critical.”

Following her own popular first win in Assen, Beatriz Neila also continues her campaign in the 2025 FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship with the second round of the season in Cremona for Ampito Crescent Yamaha. The 23-year-old Spanish rider leads the title standings, equal on points with her closest rival.

Andrea Locatelli: “I have had some time for the win in Assen to feel real at home now, it was an incredible feeling, like a dream! Now I can’t wait to race at my home round in Cremona, we want to take the positive feeling forward – the track is quite tricky but we have a good base, the goal is to work well from Friday in Free Practice and try to be fast in every session to arrive ready for Race 1. We also know from last year that Superpole is really important to get a good start position. I’m looking forward to the weekend, I hope to see many fans again in the grandstands and put on a good show for everyone! As always, we keep believing in ourselves and in our work with Yamaha and the team – and push to be fighting for the podium again.”

Jonathan Rea: “I’m super excited to be come back in Cremona after the injury sustained in Phillip Island! It feels like a really long couple of months, but in the last 3-4 weeks I’ve maximised regaining strength and function of my left foot. The injury was a lot more serious than first expected and I just want to thank everybody that was behind me to get back on track, especially the fans and all the messages of encouragement. I feel confident and ready – Cremona is a track that I haven’t raced at before but I was able to spin a few laps in testing last season. I’m just so happy to be back with my team and riding my Yamaha R1! Since I’ve been away the team has made some great improvements and achieved fantastic results with Locatelli including his first win in Assen, so I’m really motivated to start – to understand what my level is and work from there. Can’t wait to see everybody, looking forward to riding again with a smile on my face and trying to have a good weekend in Cremona!”

Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Maxus Yamaha: “We arrive in Cremona with the positivity generated by Loka’s performances in Portimao and Assen – of course, topped off by that very important emotional first win – and the improvements made to the R1 WorldSBK package. However, equally motivating is the fact that Jonathan will be back with us after putting so much commitment into his recovery from a really nasty injury. He’s demonstrated how badly he still wants to race and to compete to win, so this is a good sign for the rest of the season. Cremona isn’t the easiest track to come back at, and we need to treat this as a first step back on the road to competitiveness for JR, but we are looking forward to giving both him and Loka everything they need to maximise their potential.”

Featured Image: Pata Maxus Yamaha