Remy Gardner is confident for his first season in World Superbike with GRT Yamaha. He hopes to be able to conquer a few podiums.
About Matthew Bellan de Motoracing
Remy gardner has a big desire for redemption after the disappointing season in MotoGP with the KTM Tech3 team. To relaunch himself, he chose the Superbike World Championship and signed with the GYTR GRT Yamaha team, where he will team up with Dominique Aegerter. He will definitely want to come out on top in the showdown with the two-time Supersport World Champion and will aim to get a lot of satisfaction. It won't be easy being close to the titanic trio Bautista-Razgatlioglu-Rea, but he will give everything to have a year as a high-level rookie. He could also be called up to the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK factory team if he achieves particularly positive results.
Gardner tested the R1 during December testing at Jerez, but rain ruined his plans and he was only able to run on a wet track: “ Damage - did he declare - but I started to get to know the Pirellis in the wet and made good progress over the two days. I felt good on the bike. I started getting to know the team and working with the guys. It was still a positive test. I can't wait to ride in the dry and hope to do so in the next tests ».
Remy Gardner: “ the bike moves and slides much more than a MotoGP and I prefer this sensation«
Even if he was not able to ride in the conditions he hoped for, the sensations he found with the R1 are no less encouraging for the future. Clearly, the real test will be in the dry. There will be another test at Jerez on January 25 and 26 and the hope is that the rain will no longer interfere. The Australian has already identified a characteristic of the Superbike motorcycle that he particularly likes: “ it moves and slides much more than a MotoGP. I prefer this feeling, this movement. I really appreciated ».
Predicting the goals to be achieved in the 2023 SBK season is not easy, but Gardner hopes to be able to stay in the positions that matter: “ For the moment, the objective is to improve race after race. This year it would be good to fight for the podiums, but I have a lot to learn. New championship, new bike, everything is quite new. It will take me time to adapt. I hope we can have some good races and maybe some podiums ».
To try to understand and drive the R1 as best as possible, it is also important to look at the data from other drivers and he already started doing this in December: « I saw some data from Toprak Razgatlioglu – he admits – but in these conditions it was not easy to make comparisons. Still, it's good to have this information, especially for the future. I think they can help me ».
Will he have to change his riding style a lot compared to MotoGP? He responds thus: “ the difference is between the frames is not that huge. With the KTM I had to be super aggressive, brake and attack hard in the corners. With the Yamaha at the beginning I pushed a little too much with the front. I had to let it flow and drive more simply. Finally I found the right path. I think the driving style will remain quite similar, but I have to ride in the dry to get real sensations ».
