As previously announced, the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team will field two riders in 2025, entrusting its Yamaha YZF-R1 bikes to Spaniard Tito Rabat and Turkish rider Bahattin Sofuoglu.
As the squad concludes its collaboration with Bradley Ray and wishes the rider all the best for the future, Team Principal Sandro Carusi has been working on plans for the 2025 season for a while, not only in terms of the technical staff but also the rider line-up, which will see experienced Tito Rabat joined by talented rookie Bahattin Sofuoglu.
Two riders who have a lot to demonstrate and who, just like the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team, are eager to achieve important results.
Esteve “Tito” Rabat was born in Barcelona on 25 May 1989. He began racing in 2005, in the CEV 125 class and debuted in the world championship that same year. The following year he finished as runner-up in the CEV and completed eleven world championship races. He was a permanent 125 world championship rider from 2007 to 2010 and scored four podiums. He moved to Moto2 in 2011 and was crowned world champion in 2014. He continued on in the intermediate class until 2016, amassing a total of thirteen wins and 33 podiums. 2016 saw him make the move to MotoGP, where he remained until 2020 when he decided to move to WorldSBK.
Alongside his WorldSBK racing, Tito has also competed in the Spanish Superbike championship, winning the national title in 2022.
Bahattin Sofuoglu was born in Adapazari, Turkey, on 18 August 2003. His international racing career began in 2016 in the Asia Talent Cup, with the rider debuting in WorldSSP300 just two years later with a Yamaha, competing as a wildcard at Portimao and Magny Cours. In 2020 he completed his first full season in the entry level class, with Sandro Carusi’s team, and rounded out the championship in third place overall, with two race wins and four podiums to his name. He remained with Team Motoxracing in 2021 and lined up in both the WorldSSP300 and CIV SSP300 categories.
He placed sixth in the world championship with two wins and four podiums and finished as runner-up in the national series with three wins and seven podiums. In 2022, he moved to WorldSSP where he remained for three seasons, achieving four podiums and one win, in Barcelona.
The two Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team riders will make their debut appearance with their new bikes during tests at Jerez de la Frontera in Spain on 26-27 November.
"I can finally confirm that we’ll be fielding two riders next season. The experienced Tito Rabat, who is also a former Moto2 world champion, will be joined by promising youngster Bahattin Sofuoglu. Tito has been our rival in recent seasons and so I’m pleased that he’ll now be part of our team. We began working with Bahattin in 2020 when he was part of our SSP300 championship team. Over those two seasons we were often on the podium, and I always hoped that our paths would again cross one day. This will be our first season with two riders in WorldSBK and so there will also be changes in terms of our technical staff, with new entries as well as familiar faces. I’m sure that we can have a really close-knit work group in 2025.”
“I’m excited to join the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team. I think the Yamaha YZF-R1 has a setup that is easier to define than other bikes, which means even a private team can be competitive. Our first goal will be the top twelve, but we’ll see how things go during the season. I can’t wait to start the winter tests and compete in the 2025 championship. I want to thank Carusi for this opportunity, and hope to able to repay the team with good results.”
“I’m really pleased to be able to race with my former team again. We had some really good, successful seasons and podiums in WorldSSP300 and now we’re back together in the reigning class. My plan is to be ready as soon as possible as I embark on this exciting new chapter in my career. I’ve started riding a production YZF-R1 so that I can build confidence as I wait for the first tests. I want to say a big thank you to Sandro Carusi and Yamaha”.
