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The 2025 FIM Supersport World Championship marks a new chapter for Yamaha with the highly anticipated race debut of the YZF-R9. As the season kicks off at Phillip Island this weekend, Yamaha’s three WorldSSP-supported teams have completed their final pre-season testing, making important progress despite challenges in preparation.
Yamaha’s official test at Phillip Island marked the first opportunity to assess the YZF-R9 against its competitors. Despite limited track time in Europe due to weather disruptions, the teams made significant progress in fine-tuning their setups for the race weekend. As a brand-new race package, the YZF-R9 demonstrated strong potential, delivering promising pace and consistent development.
Riders focused on refining their setups, adapting to the new chassis and engine characteristics, and improving overall stability. While the bike still has room for further refinement, teams were pleased with its potential.
Evan Bros Racing Team
Can Öncü (P4, 1'32.387): The Turkish rider adapted quickly to his new team, showing steady improvement throughout the test. He felt comfortable with the setup and confident heading into the opening round.
"We started slow but finished strong. The team is professional yet feels like family, which gives me confidence for the race," Öncü said.
Aldi Satya Mahendra: The reigning WorldSSP300 champion focused on adapting to the more powerful bike while learning the fast and technical Phillip Island circuit. He showed steady improvement throughout the test and aims to continue building on this progress during the race weekend.
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Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing
Stefano Manzi (P8, 1'32.602): A two-time WorldSSP runner-up, Manzi focused on transitioning from the YZF-R6 to the new R9, experimenting with different setups and collecting valuable data for the upcoming races.
"We had two very productive days. There’s still work to do, but I’m happy with what we learned," he said.
Yuki Okamoto: The 2024 Japanese Superbike Champion was forced to withdraw from the opening round after crashing on oil left by another rider. He sustained a dislocated and fractured coccyx and has returned to Japan to focus on his recovery.
GMT94 Yamaha
Lucas Mahias (P9, 1'32.687): The 2017 WorldSSP Champion focused on long-distance performance and overall bike balance, showing confidence in the R9’s potential as development progresses.
"The bike is new, and we are starting from zero, but there is a lot of room for improvement," Mahias said.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi: Transitioning from WorldSBK to WorldSSP, Rinaldi made steady progress throughout the test, adapting well to the new bike.Overall,
The Yamaha teams remain optimistic, focusing on further refining the YZF-R9 setup before the season opener. The first Free Practice session starts on Friday at 10:25 AM, with Superpole later in the afternoon. The first two WorldSSP races of the season will take place on Saturday and Sunday at 14:30 local time.
Despite some setbacks, Yamaha’s riders and teams are confident in their progress and eager to put their hard work to the test when racing begins.
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