Remy Gardner and Dominique Aegerter returned to action at Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, enjoying a strong Friday to secure second and fifth on combined times.

The day started as usual with Free Practice 1, but unfortunately the GYTR GRT Yamaha duo couldn't enjoy any track time as wet patches were dotted around the circuit. The riders opted to stay inside their pit garage for the entirety of the season, as did the majority of the field.

As the sun came out for Free Practice 2, Gardner and Aegerter could put their Yamaha R1 machines to good use. Both riders enjoyed fast runs throughout the 45-minute session despite a short red flag stoppage. The GYTR GRT Yamaha pair had enough time to test every rear racing compound, with the #87 securing a remarkable second with a 1'40.556 on fresh tyres, while his #77 teammate claimed a strong fifth (1'40.823).

Remy Gardner: P2 (1'40.556)
"It was a strange day, unfortunately I couldn't enjoy any track time in the morning due to conditions. Then, in the afternoon, we were able to test three rear compounds, which are the 800, X and the Q, the qualifying one. To be honest I'm feeling better with the 800, but there's still a lot of work to do. Finally, my lap time with the Q wasn't too bad, but I left some time on the table, making a mistake in the last corner as well. We're then confident that we can have a good Saturday, but we're aware we still need to keep working hard."

Dominique Aegerter: P5 (1’40.823)
“We waited a bit this morning, unfortunately we couldn’t enjoy any track time due to damp conditions. In the afternoon there still were few wet patches and I had a big moment at Turn 6; thankfully I was able to save a big crash, that was scary. Anyway, despite missing the morning session, we had a good base from the test we did here in January, so we were able to produce strong laps immediately. It’s a good start to the weekend, I felt good with both rear compounds (800 and X) but we’re aware there’s still a lot of work to do. We’ll keep pushing hard tonight looking for a good result on Saturday.”