MotoGP Valencia-1: Garrett Gerloff was unanimous! Soon in the paddock?

When Yamaha found itself faced with the problem of having to provide a replacement for Valentino Rossi battling Covid-19 from Aragón, the logical choice seemed to use Jorge Lorenzo, the official test rider of the Iwata firm.

But no, a real snub for the latter, it was the name of Garrett Gerloff which appeared in the press releases, the surprise of the MotoGP world.

“Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP announces that Garrett Gerloff will participate in the MotoGP sessions of the European GP taking place today in Valencia, Spain, pending the result of the PCR test carried out this morning by Valentino Rossi, which will be revealed this evening. If the Italian test proves negative again, he would participate in this weekend's European Grand Prix from tomorrow. »

Far from the stereotype of the usual American provincial boy, the Texan is certainly not unknown and has even started running in Spain, where he knows the language very well as well as Italian. “Speaking Spanish or Italian well is very important to me, if you want to make your way in the World Championship. »

After this brief stint in old Europe, the American returned to compete at home, where he climbed all the ranks of motorcycle competition, standing out enough to join the official Graves Yamaha Supersport team.

From there, everything came together perfectly, with two titles in 2016 and 2017 before defending the colors of Iwata in Superbike the following year. Fifth after five podiums in 2018, the native of Woodlands City, near Houston, finished the 2019 season on the podium, author of 15 podiums.

This opens the doors to the WSBK world championship within the GRT team in 2020… Then offers him this famous participation in MotoGP last week in Valencia.

New category, new circuit, new tires, new carbon brakes, nothing impressed the 25-year-old driver, who finished his two sessions 16th and 19th, each time less than 1,6 seconds behind leader Jack Miller.

Better, we even saw him during a session in the top 8, lighting several sectors in red to find himself 5th! The smiling American is not afraid and his dream has, at least for a moment, come true.

Garrett Gerloff: “Man, what an experience!” It was amazing to ride the YZR-M1. There are so many things that are amazing about this bike. It reminds me of the R1, but at the same time it's different, it's just another level of motorcycle. But it's still a very pleasant motorcycle to ride. She wasn't too animalistic, but she was really super fast. The tires were incredible, especially this morning in the wet, and even later, when the track was a little more subdued, I still felt pretty confident going over the wet areas with the slicks. It was super cool! I smiled at every turn! Thanks to Yamaha for giving me this opportunity. I'm really happy to be here. And the difference doesn't seem as big as I expected. I had in mind the fact that I had to take care of this bike, it wasn't mine. That's why I drove with a small safety margin. It would have been good if I had had both training sessions in the same conditions. I rode first in the wet, then in the dry. It was like sitting on different motorcycles. At the end of the second session, I realized that Rossi was in the box. He said I did a good job and thanked me for taking care of his bike. What I definitely didn't want was to make the greatest of all time angry. It was unreal to come back after the second session and see Valentino right there and saying “Hey, great job, man!” » I mean, it's something dreams are made of, you know? So I'm very happy to have been able to do it and I really thank Yamaha for giving me this opportunity. Overall it was an amazing experience and I would be thrilled if I had the chance to ride the Yamaha again. The MotoGP World Championship is my goal, and I feel I can do it. »

The American's performance did not go unnoticed...

Massimo Meregalli : “Garrett really impressed us today! When you consider that he has never ridden on this circuit before, that he has no experience with the YZR-M1 and all the technical aspects that go with it, nor with Michelin tires, it really shows that he has an excellent level of driving. The track was very slippery today, but he seemed to adapt to it very well. »

Jonathan Rhea : “You showed a lot of potential, man, and I know all the Superbike riders were with you every lap! It's not easy to climb on a MotoGP machine in difficult conditions and understand everything in two sessions. You were amazing, what a way to end the year! »

Unanimity also among the Valentino Rossi mechanics.

Alex Briggs:  “I really enjoyed working and speaking with Garrett Gerloff over the past few days. He rode very well. He had a lot of information to learn and he soaked it all up like a sponge. I'd be surprised if he's not in this paddock very soon. »

“Wayne Rainey, Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies, they are my heroes. I feel different from them, but I saw them run, achieve their dreams and win. One day I would like to be one of those names” also told Garrett Gerloff to our colleagues at GPOne.

Who knows…