Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner are ready to return to action on 14th-16th July for the seventh round of the 2023 season at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy.

The WorldSBK paddock will be there for the first time since 2019, meaning it will be the very first time at the track for the GYTR GRT Yamaha rookies – neither Aegerter nor Gardner have ever ridden the Imola track on two wheels, but both are eager to enjoy a good weekend on Italian soil.

Aegerter’s Crew Chief, Andrea Oleari, states the severe heat of Imola could play a key role in the weekend: “We’ll race in a very special place for us, it’s like a temple of speed. It’ll be a challenging weekend, but the bike has evolved a lot since 2019, although Dominique has never ridden here on two wheels. Moreover, we’ll face extremely hot conditions, so it won’t be easy. Finally, we’re happy to be able to race in this part of Emilia-Romagna after the floods that happened in May.”

Having another race in Italy means a second home race for the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team, and that gives extra motivation, as Team Manager Filippo Conti states:Team Manager Filippo Conti explains: “It’s true that neither Dominique nor Remy know the track, so we’ll start working on their adaptation from Friday morning. We’re confident that both can adapt well to Imola and be quick throughout the sessions. Moreover, we’ll be more than happy to once again welcome our partners and supporters, hoping they’ll enjoy the weekend to the maximum.”

A new challenge awaits Aegerter: “We hope to continue our progress in Imola . It’ll be a new track for me, completely. I went there some weeks ago with the cars to learn the circuit, but it’ll be my very first time on two wheels. I like the layout; it’s tricky, with up and downs, blind corners, but it looks nice. Thankfully we should find stable weather conditions, so we’ll be able to work on our Yamaha R1 machine from Friday onwards. I can’t wait to be there.”

And for Gardner, it’s also a case of learning a new track once again: “This will be my first time in Imola; as happened in Donington, it looks like a very special track, another old school one with a lot of history. The layout seems nice to me, and we’ll try to quickly adapt from Friday to enjoy a strong weekend. Luckily the weather should be settled, but we should pay attention to the hot conditions as well. We’re ready for it.”