Canepa on YZF-R9 WorldSSP debut – “outcome was above expectations”

WorldSBK 2025 – Round One

Yamaha reflect on Phillip Island

The 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship got underway at Phillip Island last weekend, and it marked an important landmark for Yamaha as the new YZF-R9 made its debut in the WorldSSP class.

It was a debut to remember, as Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) took the new Supersport machine to glory in its very first race, crossing the line to take the win on Saturday before rounding out a successful weekend with second on Sunday.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (GMT94 Yamaha), Can Öncü (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Racing), and Lucias Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha), who qualified on the front row, also showed strong pace across the weekend.

In WorldSBK, Andrea Locatelli put together a strong weekend but it was a disappointing start to the year for six-time world champion Jonathan Rea, who was ruled out of the season opener following an injury in the traditional pre-season test.

The Phillip Island weekend also marked the first WorldSBK race for Niccolò Canepa in his new role of Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Sporting Manager and we present his reflections on the season opener below.

Niccolò Canepa – Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Sporting Manager

“It was exciting to get the 2025 season underway in Australia; the weather was a bit unpredictable but, fortunately, turned out to be a lot better than it was for winter testing! It was again a bit of a different weekend with the mandatory flag-to-flag pit stops in the middle of both the WorldSBK and WorldSSP races, but our teams handled this with professionalism.

“It was an important weekend for Yamaha as we saw the debut of the new R9 in the FIM Supersport World Championship. This was one of the things we were most excited about heading into the event as we’d finally see how the bike would perform against its rivals after all the development work put in during the winter by the engineers at YMC and YMRE.

“The outcome was above expectations; we knew the bike would be competitive, we knew the package was good and we have a strong rider line-up but to get the win in the very first race is something dreams are made of. We have to thank Stefano Manzi because he rode very well in both races, but as well to all of the others involved, especially the guys in the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Team and the engineers who have developed the bike. A victory is always a team effort and this is the perfect example of that. WorldSSP is not an easy championship, there are many manufacturers fighting for victory and it seems that will only increase this year, so to be in the fight from the start with a new bike is very encouraging as there is still a lot of room for improvement.

“And it wasn’t just Manzi who was quick, as there were many other Yamaha riders fighting at the front. Lucas Mahias, Michael Rinaldi and Can Öncü also led either Race 1 or Race 2 and all three of these riders were unlucky to miss out on the podium this weekend, especially Mahias and Rinaldi who were caught up in other rider’s incidents. This is a really good sign for the rest of the season.

“I would also like to mention the positive debut of Aldi Satya Mahendra. WorldSSP is a difficult category and very different to WorldSSP300, on top of this, Phillip Island was a completely new track for him but he improved every time he rode the bike, setting competitive times and showing a lot of promise with points in his debut weekend. The target for him as we return to Europe is to look towards the top ten on the tracks he is more familiar with.

“Unfortunately, we missed Yuki Okamoto this weekend after he sustained an injury in testing. He showed good speed during winter testing so we hope to have him back to make his WorldSSP debut as soon as possible.

“In WorldSBK we saw some challenges, but we also have to look at the bigger picture. The injury of Jonathan was a blow for both us and him. He has been extremely fast during winter testing. He arrived with the eye of a champion and so motivated to avenge for last year. He had worked really hard over the winter and was ready to fight. Unfortunately he was very unlucky with the crash and we wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back ASAP.

“Andrea Locatelli did a good job this weekend, he didn’t make a single mistake throughout the whole weekend and this came after a difficult winter test season where he struggled to find the pace. However, he was quick across the weekend and we believe his performance was strong. Phillip Island is a very difficult track and different to what we have in Europe, the grip levels are so high and we also use different tyres so it is hard to see exactly where you are as a manufacturer at this circuit. I believe once we get to Europe the picture will become clearer and we can understand more the position. However, we clearly have some work to do, especially after winter testing was interrupted by the weather and the upcoming test in Portimão will be important for us to understand and refine the package. The engineers are working hard to find improvements and we are hopeful of making a step forward as we return to Europe.

“Remy Gardner had a very positive winter test. He has been really helpful in the development of the bike; any items we had to test he was very precise in his feedback and this has helped us to define the development direction for the future. When it came to the race weekend, he struggled a bit more and couldn’t find the pace in the races – he had a few issues we have to understand when we get home.

“Dominique had surgery at the beginning of February so I believe he wasn’t feeling in 100% ready to perform at his best, so we’ll wait for him in Portimão. He showed signs of his pace this weekend, so we are confident once we get back to Europe we will see an improvement.

“Before Round 2 we have an important test in Portimão and we will also welcome Augusto Fernandez who will stand in for Jonathan Rea in the Pata Maxus Yamaha team. Of course we are missing Jonathan, but we are happy to welcome Augusto. He is the MotoGP test rider for Yamaha and will do a few wildcards this year, so we are happy that we could choose someone already in the family. He is a young talent and he has already raced in this paddock before having come from European Superstock 600 before going to Grand Prix. We are happy to welcome him back and are looking forward to hearing his feedback on the R1; as a MotoGP test rider he has very good knowledge in how to improve a bike and he is known for his very good feedback. We also hope he will enjoy his time with us and fingers crossed come the race weekend he can have some good results too!”

WorldSBK Race One Results

WorldSBK Superpole Race Results

WorldSBK Race Two Results

WorldSBK Championship Points

WorldSSP Race One Results

WorldSSP Race Two Results

WorldSSP Championship Points

2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship Calendar

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