Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner missed out on points in Race 1 at Jerez after a remarkable Tissot Superpole where they qualified second and fifth on the grid.

The GYTR GRT Yamaha pair put Free Practice 3 to good use to prepare themselves for the races. Aegerter secured a strong second (1’39.871), with his teammate Gardner 11th while working on race distance (1’40.841).

After finding good feeling in the morning, the #77 and the #87 riders approached the Tissot Superpole qualifier with great confidence. At the end of the 15-minute session, Aegerter astonished with a 1’38.845, placing himself second to secure his third front row start of the season. In the meantime, Gardner put in strong flying laps to qualify in a very decent fifth (1’38.961).

Following on from this, the GYTR GRT Yamaha duo were eager for Race 1 as they felt confident of scoring good results. Both got off the line quite well, but unfortunately their hopes lasted just a few laps. Gardner had a big crash while attempting to overtake another rider. The Aussie suffered a deep cut to his right elbow and a left wrist contusion. In the meantime, Aegerter faced an electronic technical issue which forced him to drop to the back of the field. The Swiss rider was able to continue, and still gave it everything to score points, but he couldn’t climb higher than 18th.

Dominique Aegerter – Superpole: P2 / Race 1: P18
“We had a great start of the day, enjoying a strong FP3. Then in the Tissot Superpole, I made a very fast lap, coming back to the parc fermé and securing a great second place on the grid; the team did a great job to achieve this fantastic result. Unfortunately, in Race 1, we suffered an electronic technical issue that prevented me from doing more. Tomorrow it’ll be our last day of the season, we’ll give our best and I hope I can defend the P2 on the grid in the sprint race.”

Remy Gardner – Superpole: P5 / Race 1: DNF
“It’s unfortunate how Race 1 ended, I thought I could fight for the podium, and to finish on the ground and injured is not the best way to close the day. I’m very sorry to the team and Yamaha, I hope I’ll feel better tomorrow. We still take some positives with the Tissot Superpole; P5 on the grid was good even though I left some time on the table as I couldn’t perform a perfect lap.”