WSB: Lorenzo Baldassarri joins Evan Bros. Racing Yamaha in World Supersport

Moto2 race winner Lorenzo Baldassarri will be on the World Supersport Championship grid this year after signing for Evan Bros. Racing Yamaha team.

Baldassarri has spent the last eight seasons in the Moto2 class, picking up five victories, 12 podiums and two pole positions along the way. The Italian has endured a tough couple of years in the intermediate Grand Prix class, and ended 2021 with only three points to his name. He also missed three races through injury.

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Baldassarri looked to be a genuine title contender in 2019 when he won three of the opening four races, but he was unable to keep that form going and ended his campaign seventh overall – a year after finishing inside the top five.

The former VR46 Riders Academy member now links up with the frontrunning Evan Bros. Racing team in WorldSSP, despite previously testing for MV Augusta on their Supersport machine in Jerez last November.

“I’m looking forward to a new challenge in the World Supersport Championship with the Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team and Yamaha,” Baldassarri said. “I’m very happy and motivated so I’ll be preparing as best I can to be ready for the start of the season, scheduled for April 10th. I would like to thank the people around me who support me and the team, who believe in me and have given me this opportunity.

“I’m sure I’ve been included in a very solid project with very professional people. My main goals are to always give my best, adapt to the category as soon as possible and start immediately to fight for positions that count. I can’t wait to get on the bike for the tests and I look forward to the start of the season.”

Evan Bros. Racing Yamaha have won the Riders’ Championship in two of the last three seasons; with Randy Krummenacher in 2019 and then Andrea Locatelli in 2020.

The team were expected to continue with South African rider Steven Odendaal, who finished second overall behind Dominique Aegerter last year. however, they have now parted ways due to financial reasons.

Odendaal will race in the Endurance World Championship with RD Igol Experiences Yamaha team. As a result, Baldassarri will line-up alongside Peter Sebestyen.

“I believe that Lorenzo, together with the whole team, will form a very strong and highly motivated duo,” Fabio Evangelista, Team Principal of Evan Bros., added. “I have only got to know Lorenzo personally over the last few months, and day by day I liked him more and more: I am sure that thanks to the family atmosphere within our team he will be able to show his full potential again.

“I want to thank Yamaha Motor Europe, who helped us in the success of the operation, and in particular Andrea Dosoli, with whom I have had a fantastic relationship for years.”