Locatelli on 2023 season: ‘I would like to restart from zero’

While 2023 was Andrea Locatelli’s best season in WorldSBK, the Italian feels he could have achieved more.

08 Jan 2024

Andrea Locatelli, Spanish WorldSBK, 27 October

The Pata Yamaha rider was a contender to finish ahead of six-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea in the championship for much of the season before eventually missing out on third.

A very strong start to the season was backed up with consistent top tens and further podiums during the closing rounds.

However, Locatelli felt as though wins could have been possible at the beginning of the season, which is why he believes there’s more to come in 2024.

“Honestly, I would like to restart from zero because during the season I understood a lot of my mistakes and lost, especially in the beginning of the season, the possibility to fight for wins like in Phillip Island and Indonesia where we were really fast,” said Locatelli when summing up his 2023 season to WorldSBK.com.

“But it’s part of the experience so I want to look forward to next season.”

Locatelli was at times able to match Toprak Razgatlioglu for pace, something very few people have done in WorldSBK since 2020, let alone someone on the same machinery.

But Locatelli did just that on occasion and put it down to the constant progression that was being made every weekend.

Locatelli said: “I think it was my progression. Every weekend we learned something, we improved the bike and everything and in the last three rounds especially, from Magny-Cours [onwards] we improved a lot and showed our potential.”