Yamaha’s Renaissance: Locatelli Rewrites History in Dutch Drama

Andrea Locatelli achieved his inaugural WorldSBK victory at Assen, resulting in a significant alteration of the championship standings.

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A dramatic Race 2 at the TT Circuit Assen saw Pata Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli claim his first-ever WorldSBK victory, becoming the first Yamaha rider to win at the Dutch circuit since Ben Spies in 2009. 

The Italian’s breakthrough triumph came after a heartbreaking mechanical failure for race leader Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who had built a two-second advantage before his bike abruptly stopped, marking his second retirement of the day after also failing to finish the Superpole Race.

Emotional First Win for Locatelli

Locatelli, who had previously scored his first WorldSBK podium at Assen in 2021, was overcome with emotion after crossing the line. “It’s an amazing day! I cannot understand that it’s true. I need to enjoy the moment. I have good memories here from 2021, I got my first podium, and now my first victory; it’s a sign, maybe! We did an amazing job this weekend,” he exclaimed. 

“We have many races to come. It’s just the third round. Finally, the first victory and third podium of the season. We need to push on this path, and we can get more. Now I just want to enjoy it and reset a bit because I need to stop a bit now; I was fighting quite strongly to be in this position. At last, I did it, and now I need to keep fighting again because the next round is at Cremona, and there I’d like to be on the podium again, maybe win in front of the Italian fans!”

The 27-year-old held off a charging Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who took second, while Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha) completed the podium after applying intense mid-race pressure.

Razgatlıoğlu Struggles with Tire Gamble

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu (ROKiT BMW) endured a frustrating race, finishing eighth, his worst result since 2024, after gambling on the harder SC0 rear tyre. The Turkish star, who struggled with rear grip in the closing laps, was overtaken by Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Kawasaki) and Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) on the final lap.

Championship Shake-Up

Bulega retains the championship lead (136 points) despite his DNF, but Razgatlıoğlu (115) saw his deficit grow. Locatelli’s victory propels him to third (107), while Bautista (86) and Danilo Petrucci (81) complete the top five.