Expectations do not always become reality | 6 WorldSBK riders that underperformed in 2024
Yesterday at 08:04 AM
Now that we are into 2025 let's look back at the underperformers from the 2024 World Superbike season.
The 2024 World Superbike season was set up to be an all-time classic in the build-up to the year. Some riders did meet or exceed the expectations set for them before the season. However, there were a handful that were nowhere near where we expected them to be.
Ahead of the 2025 World Superbike season, we have decided to look back at the riders that we believe underperformed the most in 2024.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (17th)
Michael Ruben Rinaldi had been a Ducati rider for eight years across multiple different classes until the end of the 2024 season. The Italian had once been a factory Ducati rider in World Superbikes, but after a dreadful year, he was let go.
Rinaldi had never been a realistic title challenger in World Superbikes, but he was also a podium contender. But after dropping to the Motocorsa squad after two years with Aruba.it Racing - Ducati his World Superbike career came to an end.
The 29-year-old will race in World Supersport in 2025 after ending the 2024 season in 17th place. Rinaldi's best result last year was sixth place in Australia at Round One, but across the whole year, he only scored 78 points, 173 points less than in 2023.
Philipp Oettl (24th)
In the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Philipp Oettl looked like a promising World Superbike prospect. However, the German moved to Yamaha in 2024, which ended up being his undoing.
Oettl joined the GMT94 Yamaha squad last season but ended up scoring points on three occasions in his third year in the class. The Yamaha R1 massively underperformed in 2024 and it clearly impacted Oettl throughout the year.
During the 2024 season, Oettl scored five points, 119 points less than his 2023 total when he rode a Ducati. The 28-year-old will return to World Supersport for the 2025 season and will ride a Ducati Panigale V2.
Sam Lowes (18th)
Heading into the 2024 season Sam Lowes was one of the riders that we were excited to see arrive in World Superbikes. However, his rookie year in the class was plagued with injuries after multiple crashes throughout the season.
After ten years in the MotoGP paddock, Lowes returned to the World Superbike paddock with Marc VDS on a Ducati. The British rider showed flashes of brilliance but his overall performances did not match the hype that was built up around him in preseason.
Lowes will remain in the class with the Marc VDS squad for the 2025 season and will be hoping for an injury-free second season.
Axel Bassani (14th)
Ever since he joined the World Superbike Championship in 2021 Axel Bassani has been a top ten Championship finisher. However, the 2024 season was the first year that the Italian did not end the year in the top ten.
Bassani had competed for Motocorsa Ducati for three years and stood on the podium multiple times. But when the Kawasaki Racing Team came knocking Bassani answered and switched allegiances for 2024. But his debut year in green was rather unsuccessful as he ended the year in 14th, with a best result of sixth.
For the 2025 season, Bassani will ride for Bimota in the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team. The KB998 will be the third machine the Italian has ridden in the last three seasons.
Jonathan Rea (13th)
It has been highly publicised that Jonathan Rea's 2024 World Superbike season was not where it should have been. The six-time World Superbike Champion had his worst year in the Championship since he joined in 2009.
Rea claimed a podium finish in 2024 at Donington Park but ended the year 13th overall in the standings. Throughout the year he scored 127 points, the lowest amount that he has scored throughout his World Superbike career, lower than when it was only two races per weekend.
The 37-year-old will remain with the Pata Yamaha squad in 2025, but with Yamaha struggling there is no guarantee his performances will improve for his second year with the Japanese manufacturer.
Adam Norrodin (29th)
The signing of Adam Norrodin was always questioned coming into the 2024 World Superbike season. In the end, the Malaysian rider did not meet any expectations but is seemingly returning for 2025.
The 26-year-old only participated in 15 World Superbike races throughout the 2024 season. The Malaysian rider struggled with injury issues, but when he was racing he failed to score a single point. Norrodin's best result was a 17th-place finish in Assen and ended the year 29th in the standings.
Norrodin is present on the 2025 World Superbike entry list for the Petronas MIE Racing Honda squad. The Malaysian rider has a chance to put together an injury free second year in the class.
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