Eugene Laverty EXCLUSIVE interview: The Yamaha star “I underestimated…”

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Andrea Locatelli has been “a nice shock” for Eugene Laverty in his change to Yamaha for the 2025 WorldSBK season.

Locatelli – now in his fifth season of WorldSBK, all of which have been with Yamaha – was capable of win his first race within the premier class of the manufacturing spinoff collection this 12 months at Assen.

Laverty, who received his first World Superbike races with Yamaha in 2011 at Monza and now works with Yamaha as a rider analyst, admits that he was “shocked” by the extent Locatelli demonstrated from the start of his time at Yamaha having switched from the Bonovo BMW crew on the finish of 2024.

“The principle factor was that I underestimated Loka [Andrea Locatelli], I might say, as a result of, sadly, the circumstances in the previous couple of years I hadn’t been watching him as a lot when Toprak [Razgatlioglu] was there on the Yamaha,” Eugene Laverty instructed Crash.web in an interview on the UK WorldSBK.

“Then, additionally, in the previous couple of years, each time I used to be with BMW, I used to be taking a look at our BMW riders, so I hadn’t actually received a superb probability to review Loka.

“So, I’d say in that first check in November, simply the realisation that his degree was as excessive as what it was and the very fact I’d underestimated him.

“That’s the unlucky factor on this paddock: even an ex-rider’s eye that’s on the market wanting, generally you possibly can miss these items.

“So, that was a nice shock: becoming a member of and realising that Loka actually is a high rider.”

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Eugene Laverty on Max Biaggi

Biaggi, Dall'Igna, Laverty

Biaggi, Dall’Igna, Laverty

In a way, there’s a comparability to be made between the Jonathan Rea-Locatelli pairing at Yamaha now and the primary line-up that Laverty was part of at Aprilia, the place he was alongside Max Biaggi in 2012, given the distinction in expertise between the 2 riders.

Laverty mentioned that one similarity between his time with Biaggi and Locatelli’s partnership with Rea is how they spotlight the event of driving types over time.

“The one massive comparability that springs to thoughts is the evolution of driving type, how issues change,” Laverty mentioned.

“Max [Biaggi] had received numerous 250cc world titles, received a Superbike world title.

“However then there was a major change in driving type the place we have been all starting to squeeze the entrance Pirelli tyre in braking and Max wasn’t capable of adapt as shortly as us, the younger blood.

“It’s the identical with Johnny [Jonathan Rea]. He’s needed to change producer a number of occasions and it’s a bit more durable to adapt the older you might be.

“However Johnny is a workhorse and he desires to seek out the way in which to journey this bike so he’s nonetheless decided to make that occur. He’s nonetheless received half a season left to try to click on with it.

“Loka, I believe he’s had numerous time on this bike and he actually understands the right way to get the utmost out of it.

“You don’t win six world titles with out understanding the right way to adapt, so Johnny’s nonetheless decided to try to change his type a bit of bit for this bike.”

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WorldSBK tyres set to vary

The entrance tyre Laverty talked about, in fact, is one thing that may change considerably in 2027, when Pirelli – which has equipped World Superbike since 2004 – is changed by Michelin, which has equipped MotoGP since 2016.

“They’re two very completely different tyres, I’ve to say,” Laverty mentioned of the 2 tyre manufacturers.

“Okay, it’s been a very long time since I rode the Michelin, I rode it in 2016 in MotoGP, after which additionally on a check bike in MotoGP on the finish of 2017, I wish to say.

“They are surely two very reverse tyres, so it’s going to be attention-grabbing to see each how the MotoGP boys adapt, then additionally how the Michelin is on a Superbike.

“It’s going to be an enormous change. I believe individuals underestimate simply how massive an element the tyre performs.

“We at all times take into consideration, in MotoGP, that change in 2016 when individuals at all times talked in regards to the ECU and the way they standardised issues and the way a lot of a distinction that made. However, for me, the larger change was the tyre: that’s your contact patch with the bottom.

“So, it’s going to actually spice issues up and make it attention-grabbing.”

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