Remy Gardner clinched his maiden WorldSBK podium in a thrilling Race 2 at the TT Circuit Assen, while team-mate Dominique Aegerter made an astonishing recovery from 19th on the grid to finish seventh.

Despite a wet morning Warm-Up, as soon as the riders headed to the grid for the Tissot Superpole Race the sun began to shine, offering a dry race for the WorldSBK field. Gardner put in a great performance in the 10-lap contest, with the Aussie looking set to take his first WorldSBK podium sitting third on the final lap, only to lose out at the last corner. Meanwhile Aegerter battled for a top nine finish, eventually finishing 14th.

Although dark skies were closing in again ahead of Race 2, the WorldSBK field saw a dry start. Gardner and Aegerter had a strong getaway, managing to gain places in the early stages. Then, the #87 found himself in victory contention, taking the lead on lap 12 as drops of rain started to fall. Aegerter was also making his way through the field, joining the podium battle. A thrilling fight would ensue, with Gardner fighting hard and while the leader managed to bridge a gap, he would fight for second place until the closing stages, eventually crossing the line third to a long-awaited debut WorldSBK podium. Aegerter crossed the line in seventh.

Remy Gardner – Superpole Race: P4 / Race 2: P3
“It was about time! We’ve had an amazing weekend, we were fast in every session. Unfortunately, I lost a place on the rostrum in the Superpole Race, I’m honestly kicking myself for leaving the door open at the last corner, but Alex had a good race so congratulations to him. In Race 2, drops of rain made it scary and I didn’t do anything crazy, everyone closed the gas, but as soon as it started to dry again I felt I had the pace and I opened the gap. Finally, we’re back on the podium and I hope it’ll be the first of many. A huge thanks to the team.”

Dominique Aegerter – Superpole Race: P14 / Race 2: P7
“This was not a bad way to finish the weekend, even though we were expecting more, considering the pace we showed in the final feature race of the weekend. The target for the sprint race was the top nine, but it was complicated to get it starting from so far back and we recovered just a couple of places. Then, in Race 2, I had a decent start and I could make my way through the field joining the group fighting for the podium. I had some good battles and the pace was good; to finish just five seconds off the victory starting from 19th is a good sign, now let’s head to the next round and we’ll have some good test sessions before the next races.”