Jonathan Rea Announces New Crew Chief for 2025 WorldSBK Season

Jonathan Rea, the six-time WorldSBK champion, has confirmed a key change in his team structure ahead of the 2025 season. Rea will part ways with his crew chief Andrew Pitt, who has worked with him since 2024, following the rider’s transition from Kawasaki to Yamaha.

Andrew Pitt, the 2008 Supersport World Champion, had been with Rea since the beginning of his Yamaha journey but will now move to a different role within the Pata Yamaha team. The change comes after Andrea Locatelli, the current rider for Pata Yamaha, opted for a new team structure for 2024, with Tom O’Kane taking over as his crew chief.

Replacing Pitt in the crucial role of crew chief for Rea will be Oriol Pallares, a familiar face to the Northern Irish rider. Pallares had worked with Rea during his shift from Kawasaki to Yamaha in 2023-2024, where he served as Rea’s head mechanic. Pallares will now take on the more prominent role of crew chief starting after this week’s test in Jerez, where Yamaha will join various teams, including Marc VDS and Puccetti Kawasaki.

Rea’s first season with Yamaha in 2024 fell short of expectations. Despite having a long and successful career, Rea only managed to make it to the podium once and finished the season ranked 13th overall. This disappointing performance has led to the shake-up in his crew as he looks to bounce back stronger in 2025.

In addition to the crew changes, Yamaha has also appointed Eugene Laverty to a new position within the team. Laverty, who previously served as a race coach at Bonovo BMW, will now take on a similar role within the Yamaha WorldSBK squad. This marks a full-circle return for Laverty, who began his WorldSBK career with Yamaha in 2011, and it signifies another shift in the team’s strategy for the upcoming season.

Yamaha’s restructuring demonstrates a firm commitment to improving their performance in WorldSBK as they aim to return to their winning ways in 2025.