BSB race winner gets surprise factory Yamaha WorldSBK call-up

Aussie ace Jason O’Halloran has been called up to stand in for the injured Jonathan Rea in the Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team for the second round of the FIM Superbike World Championship at Portimão next week (March 28-30).

O’Halloran, a seasoned Yamaha rider with a strong pedigree in British Superbikes, steps into the WorldSBK arena amid a reshuffle following Rea’s injury. Initially, Yamaha had lined up MotoGP test rider Augusto Fernandez to replace Rea, but the Spaniard has now been drafted back into MotoGP to cover for Miguel Oliveira at Prima Pramac Yamaha at the U.S. Grand Prix on the same weekend.

O’Halloran’s appointment sees him return to the global stage after several strong seasons in the British Superbike Championship (BSB), where he spent five years on Yamaha’s YZF-R1 from 2019-2023. Over those years, he claimed 26 race wins, making him the most successful Yamaha rider in BSB history in terms of victories and a consistent championship contender.

The ‘O Show’ recently inked a deal to ride with the Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team for the 2025 Endurance World Championship (EWC). As part of his preparation, he has conducted several winter tests with the team, impressing with his speed and adaptability. Although O’Halloran is Yamaha’s WorldSBK test rider, this will be his first outing on the factory WorldSBK spec YZF-R1, although he already has experience with Pirelli rubber in BSB.

Jason O’Halloran – Pata Maxus Yamaha

“I’m excited to get the opportunity to ride for the Pata Maxus Yamaha team in Portimão while Jonathan continues to recover. I have really enjoyed being back on the R1 in pre-season testing with YART, it’s a bike I’ve always gelled well with, and I had a lot of success with the R1 in BSB, so to try it in full WorldSBK spec is something I’m looking forward to. Of course, heading into a race weekend with no testing is jumping in at the deep end a little bit but I will give it my best for the team and for Yamaha while also remembering that the EWC season starts in just a few weeks! I’d like to thank Yamaha and the team for the opportunity and to wish Jonathan a speedy recovery.”

Niccolò Canepa – Road Racing Sporting Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe

“We are really happy to welcome Jason to the Pata Maxus Yamaha team in WorldSBK. He is currently our EWC rider and is also our WorldSBK test rider, but he has not had the chance to ride the bike yet! The Portimão weekend will be a good opportunity to get a first touch of the bike together with our competitors to understand the bike’s level so he can contribute to our development work as we continue to look to improve. Of course we all know Jason’s speed, he is the most victorious rider for Yamaha in BSB and knows the R1 well in BSB spec, which is very similar to WorldSBK spec, and he also knows the Pirelli tyres. He has been extremely fast in the winter tests with the EWC YART bike so I believe he will have a good race weekend. We are very close to the Le Mans test and race so thanks to YART for allowing us to borrow Jason in this very busy period for them.”