Jonathan Rea will have a new crew chief for the 2025 WorldSBK season as the Northern Irishman and Andrew Pitt go their separate ways.
Pitt previously worked on the other side of the Yamaha garage and worked with Andrea Locatelli before working with Rea in 2024 following his transfer from Kawasaki.
Rea’s replacement will be Oriol Pallares, a familiar face to the six-time WorldSBK champion, as the pair worked together extensively at Kawasaki.
The Yamaha rider will aim to improve in 2025 after a difficult first season with the team, after accumulating only one podium at Donington Park and finishing 13th in the championship.
Pata Prometeon Yamaha boss Paul Denning reveals reasoning
Pata Prometeon Yamaha boss Paul Denning revealed the reasons behind the change.
“The fact Uri [Pallares] and Jonathan know each other and have such a close personal and professional relationship is, in the end, the primary reason behind the change,” Denning said.
“Uri also had the benefit of seeing, first-hand, how Pere Riba managed JR [Rea] and was able to forge that winning relationship. Uri was part of that triangle of performance that they experienced before.
“It’s always a challenge in the pressure cooker of racing to separate personal and professional sides but Uri’s a strong enough character to manage JR and get the best out of him at all times.”
“Any change involving people in any organisation is always difficult, especially in a close-knit organisation such as a racing team,” Denning told WorldSBK.com.
“Andrew’s [Pitt] been with us for more than seven years and, over that time, became a very trusted colleague and a friend to everyone in the team, including Jonathan.
“The situation was not the easiest to manage. However, after such a difficult season, Jonathan [Rea] simply felt that he needed a reset and a change of communication style and a change of working atmosphere in the box.
“The thinking behind it had nothing to do with the technical job done or commitment or experience or ability. It was purely based on, as I say, a rider’s feeling and the need to try something different after such a tough season.
“Andrew is an ex-rider and World Champion, so he understands better than anyone how the mentality can work. I have to say, one of the biggest credits that we can give to Andrew was his level of professionalism and effort all the way until the last lap of the last race together with Jonathan.”
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