Filippo Conti spoke to Corsedimoto about the future of the GRT Yamaha team in Superbike: there is a lot of confidence in the Gardner-Aegerter duo.
About Matteo Bellan de Motoracing
The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team has been regularly present in the Superbike World Championship since 2019, after the experience acquired in Supersport. This season has fallen a bit short of expectations, but there is great optimism for the future.
The team led by Philip Conti et Mirko Giansanti in 2023 will no longer align Garrett gerloff et Kohta Nozane. It will have a brand new, very interesting driver duo: Remy gardner et Dominique Aegerter. The prerequisites for a year of great results are all there, even if there is first a 2022 SBK championship to conclude in the best possible way. Philip Conti talks to us about programs, expectations and how to craft a successful sports story.
Let's start with the last announcement, the one concerning the arrival of Aegerter.
« His results led Yamaha and us to choose him. In Supersport he is doing very well, last year he won the world championship and now he is in contention to win it again. He is a complete driver, he performed well in other categories as well and gained important experience. He deserves to get into Superbike, it has all the characteristics to do well ».
Aegerter will team up with Gardner. How did the idea of hiring the current MotoGP rider come about?
« She was born when Rémy had his troubles with KTM. At that point he started looking around, also opening up the possibility of moving into the Superbike paddock. Yamaha wanted to investigate the matter with its manager, to understand if there was really the desire to marry a project in this championship and it was positively received. It will have to adapt to different tracks, different bikes and different tires, but he is a world champion and therefore he starts with a higher level of adaptability because he has already experienced certain situations. Winning the title in a category like Moto2 is very difficult ».
With two drivers of such a high level, what will be the objectives in 2023?
« The objectives will not change, we always want to fight for the positions that matter all the time. Pilots have the potential and maturity to be able to do well not only sporadically, but also continuously. We are a strong team and we hope we can achieve the results we and Yamaha deserve ».
Was Axel Bassani one of the names you considered?
« There was contact. It is normal that in this period teams and drivers look around to find the best solution. Axel has grown a lot, he is doing well, he is strong and if he continues like this there are excellent expectations for the future. I think we'll hear about him. Yamaha decided to take two different paths, giving Remy a chance and rewarding Dominique. I'm sure the right choices were made ».
« It’s a great Superbike championship. The three title contenders are doing an excellent job »
Speaking instead of the 2022 season, what is the judgment?
« Before the podium in Barcelona, we were certainly below expectations in terms of results. With Nozane, we knew there was a path to follow to help him grow. It has improved, but the level of the championship has risen again and therefore the ranking has not changed. As for Garrett, we expected better results which unfortunately did not come. In Barcelona there was a podium which gives us hope of finishing the last part of the year in the best possible way. This third place was important for the team. We are in a world where everything is linked to results, so positive performance conveys positivity to restart. There is more determination and more enthusiasm ».
Are there any regrets related to Gerloff's results
« I wouldn't talk about regrets. Certainly, we and Garrett expected better results, but we could not achieve them. There are no regrets, because the team and the driver gave everything. However, we as a team and him as a driver have grown a lot during these years together ».
Do you like the fight for the Superbike World Championship between Bautista, Razgatlioglu and Rea?
« It’s a great Superbike championship. The three title contenders are doing an excellent job. Maybe sometimes the values change depending on the circuit, but all three are gifted. They will entertain us until the end ».
What do you think about the possible introduction of the driver weight limit?
« There are some arguments underway, but currently I have no basis for expressing a technical judgment. I hope that, if any action is taken, it will be done in the right way after careful and accurate assessments ».
