The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team finally returned to action with a two-days session of test on 25th-26th January at the Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto, Spain, in preparation of the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship.
So, the brand new rookie GRT duo got the chance to ride their Yamaha R1 WorldSBK bikes in the dry, with Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner who enjoyed the time spent on the machines, finding their ways throughout the test sessions.
On the first day, both riders could run in good weather conditions from 11:15 to 17:30, without any break, looking firstly on getting confidence with their bikes. Afterwards, the GYTR GRT Yamaha pair went on maximising their time on the track, going on to know the Yamaha R1 machines at the very best.
Indeed, at the end of the first test session, Aegerter and Gardner completed more than 170 laps combined, having good vibes on their first ever run in the dry. The Swiss rider concluded with an impressive 89 laps, more than everyone else, recording a 1'39.934 (69/89), while his Australian teammate finished with just three less (86 laps) pulling on a 1'40.551 (79/86) as personal best.
Day 2 did not tell a different story, as the GYTR GRT Yamaha duo kept rolling laps at the Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto, finding once again dry tarmac. Both riders found themselves well on the bikes, eventually improving their performance. Thereby, Aegerter set a 1'39.193 (70/71), with Gardner who recorded a 1'39.464 (70/76).
The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team will now move to Portimao, Portugal, for one more test session on 31st January-1st February.
Dominique Aegerter (1'39.193, 160 laps)
"I'm happy with the job done during the two days here in Jerez. Finally we could ride in the dry and at the end I was able to ride a little bit more comfortable. We tried a lot of things, including working on my riding style. The final position is good as the lap times, even though we know we still have margin to improve. Let's move on to Portimao, where we will go more in depth with the testing and hopefully further improve."
Remy Gardner (1'39.464, 162 giri)
"I'm quite happy with the progress we made throughout the two days, we're working well. I'm trying to understand the tyres, the bike, and I'm feeling good with everything. I'm enjoying a lot the time spent here in Jerez and I'm already looking forward to Portimao, where I'm confident we can find some more improvements and be faster."