Locatelli claims glory with First-Ever WorldSBK Victory!
Andrea Locatelli and Engineer, Daryll Young were all smiles as they celebrated in a pair of Randolph Engineering Glasses, supplied by Sheinman Opticians. Designed for durability, comfort, and style, Randolph frames were the perfect fit for a champion enjoying his well-earned moment in the spotlight.
Andrea Locatelli has finally broken through with a victory in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, winning Race 2 at the TT Circuit Assen. The Italian’s triumph marks not only a personal milestone but also a historic one for Yamaha—becoming the manufacturer’s first winner at Assen since 2009.
After 154 attempts, Locatelli stood tall on the podium, seizing his long-awaited moment. Starting from fourth on the grid, ‘Loka’ steadily worked his way into contention, initially sitting behind Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista. By Lap 7, he had advanced into second and went wheel-to-wheel with the reigning World Champion, even briefly taking the lead during Laps 8 to 10.
The race looked as though it was going to end in a familiar fashion when Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who had overtaken Locatelli on Lap 11, began to stretch his lead. But with just two laps remaining, fate turned in Locatelli’s favour.
On his first WorldSBK win, Locatelli was ecstatic: “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. We were strong in every situation, in the wet, so we need to keep pushing on this path and looking forward. 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!”
