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2023 World Superbike Preview: Yamaha - A Horde Of Rookies In Pursuit Of A Seat

By Steve English | Wed, 22/02/2023 - 19:20

Change is in the air at Yamaha. In a year’s time Toprak Razgatlioglu could be a MotoGP rider, and if that happens who will fill his boots? Steve English compares the form of Yamaha’s rookies and explains why Andrea Locatelli is still well placed to remain

It was always going to be difficult for Yamaha to follow up the title winning successes of 2021 with a similar showing last year. Toprak Razgatlioglu was arguably the best rider in the world during that title-winning season, and while last year he was still at his brilliant best, the Turkish star admitted that he took his eye off the ball in the early rounds.

It wasn’t until Round 4, eleven races into the campaign, that Toprak came alive and finally won a race. From that point onwards he actually outscored the eventual champion, Alvaro Bautista, but the damage was already done. For Yamaha the 2023 campaign will see upgrades to the R1 but a swingarm having been the most obvious upgrade.

“The new parts are to help find an improvement in acceleration,” explained Toprak. “We spent time testing the new swingarm and it gave good grip. I rode the old swingarm again for comparison and now I know that it gives us more grip. I'm going into the season more focused than I did last year. I fought hard in the last few races last year, but it wasn't like that, especially at the start of the season. I know that Johnny and Alvaro will be strong but we have to win the championship again.”

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