With a two-day test at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Pata Yamaha Ten Kate has completed its final preparations ahead of the new World Supersport season. Stefano Manzi had another two days to push the new Yamaha YZF-R9 to its limits on the Australian circuit, while Yuki Okamoto had to cut his test short after just one day. The Japanese rider suffered a coccygeal fracture and dislocation and is therefore ruled out for the upcoming race weekend.

Despite somewhat variable weather conditions, extensive testing was carried out on Monday and Tuesday at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Following tests in Cremona and Spain, these were the final two test days for Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing with the new R9 ahead of the 2025 World Supersport season. Stefano Manzi finished the two days in eighth place overall, with a fastest lap time of 1’32.602.

Yuki Okamoto was only in action on Monday, setting a best lap time of 1’35.534. The Japanese rider suffered a heavy crash after hitting an oil slick, resulting in a dislocated and fractured coccyx. As a result, he will not be able to make his World Supersport debut at Phillip Island this weekend, and it remains unclear how long his recovery will take.

Stefano Manzi (P8 – 1’32.602 / +1,007)
“We have had two very positive days here in Australia with a lot of useful track time. We tried a lot of different items and completed many laps, and I am happy with the things we found. Now we have two days to analyse everything and understand what we need going forward. I am happy to be working with the team again and looking forward to start the action this weekend.”

Yuki Okamoto (P26 – 1’35.534 / +3,939)
“Unfortunately, I hit an oil spill at high speed and crashed, resulting in an injury that will force me to miss the season opener. I was really looking forward to the first race, so I am extremely disappointed that it had to end this way. I will do my best to recover as quickly as possible so I can return to the track and show my strength in front of everyone. I appreciate your continued support.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“We have completed a good test here at Phillip Island. It has been a challenging few days due to Yuki’s injury. During our tests in Europe, he showed a lot of potential, and things were looking promising here as well. Unfortunately, he had an unlucky crash over an oil spill from another rider, which brought his test to an early end. Hopefully, he can recover well, and we can have him on the grid next month in Portimão.

With Stefano we completed a very intensive testing program, and we have clearly found a direction with the R9. Of course, you always want to use a soft tyre to set a fast lap time, but we chose to focus on race pace instead. I am very pleased with the work everyone has done and look forward to the race weekend with confidence.”

The first race weekend of 2025 will take place from February 21^st to 23^rd at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. After a free practice session and a Superpole session on Friday, the first race of the year will be held on Saturday at 14:30h local time (4:30h Central European time). Race 2 will also start on Sunday at 14:30h local time (4:30h CET).

Due to the demanding layout of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit – and the severe tyre wear – a mandatory pit stop will have to be made during the race.