WSBK: Shake-Up at Yamaha as Locatelli and Nozane Join the Grid

Yamaha have announced further details on their 2021 WorldSBK rider line-ups.

Reigning WorldSSP champion Andrea Locatelli will join the Pata Yamaha factory team and partner Toprak Razgatlioglu next season.

At GRT, Garrett Gerloff has been retained for another year but will get a new teammate in Kohta Nozane.

Locatelli Graduates with Pata Yamaha

WorldSSP rider Locatelli will step up a class and replace Michael van der Mark at the Yamaha factory effort.

The Italian dominated the 2020 campaign, accumulating the most wins in a season in WorldSSP history and securing the title in Catalunya.

Locatelli previously competed in Moto3 and Moto2 before joining the Superbikes paddock in 2020 with Yamaha.

The 23-year-old spoke about his promotion:

“I’m very proud and thankful to start this new adventure with Yamaha. It’s an important step for me after a great first year in the WorldSBK paddock. I’m very excited to start working with the new team and my new crew chief Andrew Pitt. He’s a two-time world champion and has done a great job with Pata Yamaha. I’m also really looking forward to getting testing started. It’ll be the first time riding the Yamaha R1 for me and I can’t wait to get my preparations for the 2021 season underway.”

Andrea Locatelli

Gerloff Stays, Nozane Arrives at GRT

Following a year of learning and improving, Gerloff secured another campaign aboard the Yamaha R1 in 2021.

The American rookie showed potential from early on and reached his breakthrough with a podium in Catalunya.

WorldSBK debutant Nozane will join Gerloff in the GRT garage.

The Japanese rider won every race of the 2020 MFJ All-Japan Road Race JSB1000 season so far and is a former J-GP2 champion with Yamaha.

His vita also boasts outings in the World Endurance Championship and a MotoGP replacement ride at the Twin Ring Motegi in 2017.

Yamaha Manager Andrea Dosoli commented on the new contracts:

“For Garrett Gerloff, it was important to offer some stability after a debut WorldSBK season disrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic, which is why he will remain with the GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team for 2021. He has shown this year that he’s capable of fighting at the front, even at tracks he’s not familiar with, so we’re excited to see what he can do next season on the 2021 specification Yamaha R1 and with a strong team behind him.

We’re also delighted to welcome Kohta Nozane, who’s been the standout rider in the All Japan Road Race JSB1000 Championship this year, to the WorldSBK paddock. It’s important for both the series and for Yamaha to have a fast, Japanese rider racing on the world stage and it means we’ll have the exciting prospect of having four riders representing three different continents on the 2021 WorldSBK grid.”

Andrea Dosoli