Johnny-RayBone To Return To WSBK This Weekend at Cremona
by Clem Sturdly
Monday, April 28, 2025
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.”
“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.”
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