Pata Snack and Remo Gobbi - Fuelling Yamaha Towards WorldSBK Success

For the past 10 years the Pata brand, from Castiglione in Northern Italy, has adorned the fairings of high-performance two-wheel machines in the most prestigious world championships, including of course the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team - for the fifth consecutive year in 2020. It is a choice dictated by owner Remo’s great passion for motorcycling, which is also very clear in his office where an amazing collection of helmets, autographs and trophies are displayed! 

Remo is well known in motorcycle racing paddocks globally, a larger-than-life character with a sharp eye for talent and a deep passion for racing – and for winning! Pata’s legacy extends well beyond commercial sponsorships to also supporting young rider talent in the Superbike and Supersport World Championships. Pata Snack has worked with 24 riders since 2010 including some of the biggest names in the business – such as Noriyuki Haga and Valentino Rossi. Naturally, Remo has been associated with Italian riders in particular, such as GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team’s Federico Caricasulo. However, the brand’s longest association has been with Pata Yamaha’s Michael van der Mark, starting in 2013, one year before the young Dutchman won the Supersport World Championship title. Remo considers Michael both a great brand ambassador and a friend, and can often be spotted cheering him on from the Yamaha team’s pit box. We caught up with the man himself to chat about motorcycles and his history of supporting racing talent. 

So Remo, when did your passion for motorcycles start? 

“As a young boy I loved motorbikes, I owned different models of Honda and Laverda, and this passion has lasted ever since. Nevertheless I now prefer sporty four-wheels for myself… If you add the maximum speed of the three cars I have in my garage, you could easily break the sound barrier!”

Pata and sport – how did these partnerships come about?

“The very first experience was always on two-wheels, but without an engine. We had a partnership with a cycling team called Liquigas-Pata. We achieved some quite good results, such as Cristian Moreni from Mantova taking the lead in the Giro and Serhiy Gonchar winning the world championship. Then some dark years followed in the sport and I did not want my brand associated with the situation.”

We understand you also had a short triumphant moment in football!

“We actually sponsored Italy’s national football team when they won the World Cup! Unfortunately, the contract didn’t end well and I chose to stay away from football until this year. To appear on the Castiglione football team’s shirts is a nice opportunity for Pata to be present in a local sporting event.”

When did your involvement in motorcycle racing start?

“We started 10 years ago, sponsoring a rider from Mantova, Lucio Pedercini. From that moment we did not leave this world! I think it’s a spectacular sport. When you enter the paddock it’s as if you enter into a big family; it is also a discipline where you can have good brand visibility, with sustainable investments, as far as my company is concerned.”

This is now your fifth year with Yamaha in WorldSBK, right?

“We have been with Yamaha ever since they came back into the championship in 2016. At first with a brand new R1, with initially little success, but there has been clear progression and this year we will be 100% competitive.”

Do you think it is possible for Pata Yamaha to win the World Championship title?

“Sure, even if it won’t be easy! Anyhow, we have achieved quite a lot already. As ‘Pata’ we won three Suzuka 8 Hours, three World Supersport Championships (one with Honda and two with Yamaha) and we have finished third place in WorldSBK twice. On top of that, we also personally sponsored the five-time World Champion Jonathan Rea and in MotoGP we are with Moto2 team ItalTrans, with riders Enea Bastianini and Moto3 World Champion Lorenzo Dalla Porta.”

What about those three years next to a certain man called Valentino Rossi...

“It was a wonderful, unforgettable time and a real marketing boost for Pata. I would repeat this experience, working alongside one of the greatest champions of all time.”

The big surprise of 2020 is your agreement with Federazione Motociclistica Italiana. How did it happen?

“This is the result of a fruitful meeting with its president Giovanni Copioli. As from now, we will talk about FMI-Pata, where we will sponsor events such as the Campionato Italiano Velocita  and help provide young Italian riders opportunities to grow towards the World Championships.”