MotoGP Assen J1 Gerloff (Yamaha/22): “here, we either go or we don’t, you have to have the balls”

When Garett Gerloff learned that he was going to replace Morbidelli's knee which had just given way for the Dutch Grand Prix on the formidable Assen track which is unknown to him, he proclaimed to anyone who would listen that he was a man of challenge. And in this regard, he was not disappointed. This is the perfect opportunity to show that he can indeed take responsibility. The American quickly discovered that his stint on the M1 on a wet Friday in Valencia in place of Rossi last year had only been a short appetizer. This time, it's something different and the Yamaha WSBK rider recognizes that it takes something in the pants in MotoGP...

Garrett Gerloff went to the Assen front this Friday which marked the first day of Dutch Grand Prix. He came back stunned but unharmed. Nothing was spared. He had never ridden a MotoGP in the dry and even less on a track.Assen that he discovered. From the first turns of the wheels, fabio quartararo made him understand that he shouldn't hang around too close to the trajectory. Then there was a fall and then there was rain... The American gritted his teeth and logically ended his day in last place, 2.672s behind the leader Casa Particular in Viñales on Yamaha. But he's ready to do it again Saturday !

He tells : " in the dry, the MotoGP felt different to the one I rode in the wet in Valencia. I tried to get a feel for the bike and learn the course as best I could. It was quite difficult, but I'm having fun and trying to improve ».

« In the wet, I feel more comfortable because the bike is a little more flexible and less rigid. It seems a little more natural to me then », admits the WSBK driver. “ In the dry, the bike is very rigid. The chassis barely moves. It can sometimes seem a little brutal when the motorcycle is agitated ».

« The bike is quite aggressivee. Last time I mainly rode with rain settings and wet tires. It was like a superbike ", Explain gerloff. " I didn't expect the difference to be so big. But with the right dry setup, the difference is quite big, especially when you go up on the bumps ».

« With the MotoGP machine you feel the bumps much more intensely and get immediate reaction from the bike. This is the biggest difference », explains the teammate of Razgalioglu in WSBK. “ The sensations are very different from any other bike I have ridden. This is the biggest difference ". In FP1, gerloff lost time due to a fall. “ I felt like I was going a little too fast at turn 7. I braked longer and crashed. It was frustrating because of course I didn't want to fall ».

Gerloff: “it’s very violent and it’s difficult to control everything”

During the second free practice session he found the rain again: “ I did three laps in the wet. The bike doesn't feel bad in the wet. She reacted as I expected. But it would be ideal if we could do more laps in the dry ", commented gerloff who therefore wants to learn because he knows where he must progress in these conditions: “ I don't load the bike enough. If you don't push it enough it reacts to every bump in the track and it reacts quite brutally. If we get more laps in the dry and I can work on that, that would be really good. But it's quite difficult to do. It's very violent and it's difficult to control everything. You can't do it half-heartedly, you have to be really determined. Either we go or we don't, you have to have the balls to work on this aspect ". And it is gerloff in the text. This is what is called experience.

He ends by talking about another unique aspect in MotoGP: braking with carbon discs: “ I'm not 100% yet, I can use them more. In WSBK we put a lot of pressure on the brakes, here you don't need to do incredible braking. In certain braking situations, I still have difficulty, we will work on this aspect ". As for fatigue, on the other hand, there is no problem: “ the bike moves fast and violently, but I don't feel any more tired than when I ride a Superbike ».

This Friday, he was also able to meet Ramon Forcada : " a wonderful person, he pushed me to have everything I needed. He has a lot of experience and knowledge, I will try to do my best to make him happy. It was very interesting to hear how I wanted to change the bike according to my instructions. I will try to remember this in the future to bring it to my technical manager as well, there is always something to learn ».

MotoGP Assen J1: combined classification

Credit classification motogp.com