WorldSBK Rookie Andrea Locatelli (left) and his teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu at the team launch of Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK. A very interesting duo, but many doubts whether they can consistently be at the forefront in 2021.

Team introduction before the start of the season – Pata Yamaha

Together with the three BMW teams, Pata Yamaha is one of the biggest question marks for the new season. Originally, Toprak Razgatlioglu was traded as the coming man in many places after a good end of the 2019 season. Even after his first win at the 2020 season opener for Yamaha, we were amazed why many were hyping him to be the future world champion. Not surprisingly, the articles of some scribes turned out to be barely worth the paper on which they could have been printed. Nobody and we do not doubt the huge talent that lies dormant in the young Turk. But a swallow doesn’t make spring yet, and it didn’t prove constancy in 2020 either. On the contrary, there were setbacks early on and after a strong start in Australia it was 2020 and two good laps in Jerez and Portimão only the final in Estoril was really convincing for the Turks.

Toprak Ragzgatlioglu photographed by us in May 2019 in Imola after 3rd place during the interview – this part usually lasts very short with the taciturn son of a former stunt driver famous in his country.

The new team with many unknowns
Replacing Dutch rider Michael van der Mark with rookie Andrea Locatelli after leaving BMW was seen by many observers as a risky decision by Yamaha Team boss Andrea Dosoli. On the other hand, his faster compatriot with his superior 2020 season in the WSSP 600 had formally pushed for a promotion. Nevertheless, many outsiders had expected US boy Garrett Gerloff in the team that was newly named “Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK” for 2021. After all, the young man from Alzano Lombardo drove very attractive times from the start. But Sandro Cortese, who also had Italian roots, succeeded as a rookie in 2019, while unfortunately he never made it onto the podium after that. This means that the new team with many unknowns is one of those with a big question mark behind them.

Photographed by us in Donington Park on the approach to Turn 10, called Melbourne Hairpin, in July 2019, when Toprak Razgatlioglu was just passing the previous leader Jonathan Rea inside. At that time still on the road with Puccetti Kawasaki, he switched to Pata Yamaha at the end of the season.

The origins of Pata Yamaha
Before joining Yamaha, the snack manufacturer from Italy was the main sponsor of Ten Kate Honda. After having signed a contract with a private Ducati team from Italy as namesake in 2012, the well-known company from the land of pizza had adorned Jonathan Rea and his team-mate Leon Haslam’s bikes on their coverings for two years. It wasn’t until a year after the Northern Irishman switched to Kawasaki that Pata formed an alliance with Yamaha Europe. The first two drivers in 2016 were Alexx Lowes and Sylvain Guintoli, who had switched from Pata Honda to Pata Yamaha.

Jonathan Rea on Pata Honda in the 2014 season – at least 5 wins came from this liaison, one in the previous year and 4 in the last Honda year of the best Superbike rider of all time, before he switched to Kawasaki and finally took off for the Greens.

The Pata-Yamaha connection – a loyal sponsor despite modest success

Similar to Red Bull for KTM, Pata turned out to be a real stroke of luck for Yamaha Europe. If you look at the record of successes, it looks more than modest compared to other top teams. In the first two years of 2016 and 2017, the drivers did not achieve a single victory. Nothing had changed in the second season when instead of Sylvain Guintoli “Magic Michael” van der Mark had switched to the Blues. It was only thanks to the Dutchman in the 6th round of the World Cup in Donington Park in 2018 that the troops were even able to celebrate their first triumph with a double victory. In the same year, Alex Lowes followed suit in Brno, although he did not have to beat his current teammate Rea in direct combat. This had been hindered by Sykes, his neighbour at the time, and crashed into Turn 12.

Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha, on the left) photographed by us before the start in Brno in June 2018 – the Englishman from Lincoln will hardly ever forget the weekend of his first WorldSBK victory in the Czech Republic.

The most successful Pata Yamaha rider to date is no longer there
With four wins, it is Michael van der Mark who was responsible for exactly half of the previous triumphs of the Yamaha works team. In addition to Lowes and the man from Gouda, only Toprak Razgatlioglu has been granted the top spot on the podium for the Blues. Right at the start of the season in Australia for the first time and two more victories at the finals in Estoril, there, however, favoured by some mishaps on the part of Rea and Redding, which should not reduce the Turkish’s performance. Along with Davies, Lowes, van der Mark, Rinaldi and Bautista, he is one of the few drivers who have already beaten the six-time world champion in direct combat.

The two Pata Yamaha aces Michael van der Mark, pictured in the front, and Razgatlioglu with the number 54 photographed by us in turn 4 called Honda Corner on March 1st, 2020 in Phillip Island (Australia). Unfortunately Loris Baz with the 76 and his former Ten Kate Yamaha Team is not there this season. As a result of the corona pandemic, their sponsor support collapsed and the fast Frenchman is now driving the MotoAmerica Superbike championship on a Ducati.

What are the chances of Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK?

Razgatlioglu, in particular, should undoubtedly be enough again for individual victories, which will replace “Magic Michael” as the most successful Pata Yamaha rider to date next season. As before, only the greatest optimists trust the only 24-year-old Turkish from Alanya to fight for the title. This time, he says he has a training deficit a few days ago. When he returned to his homeland after recovering from Covid-19 infection, it was Ramadan there and as he put it on record, sensible training without eating and drinking during the day was out of the question. Rather, however, his handicap has been his lack of consistency, at least so far. Only when he manages to constantly fight for the podium will he be one of the favourites for the title. Nobody speaks of his new team-mate anyway, he still has to prove in his rookie season that he really deserves the promotion to the works team.

We photographed the small Turkish Toprak fan delegation in the main grandstand at the WorldSBK event in April 2019 – this season, as in the previous year, they will unfortunately not be there to support their idol.

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