Remy Gardner and Dominique Aegerter completed a tricky opening day in Imola as they got their first taste of the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, finishing 14th and 19th on combined times on their debut day.

In the opening morning session, both GYTR GRT Yamaha riders were looking to build confidence on the Italian circuit, as they attempted to learn its classic yet challenging layout. Gardner finished 16th with a 1’49.488, while his Swiss teammate was just behind in 17th (1’49.584).

Later, in a hotter Free Practice 2 session, which was red flagged twice, the #87 and the #77 kept putting in the laps to increase their feeling with their Yamaha R1 machines at the track, managing to make progress compared with the morning. Indeed, Gardner significantly improved, shaving 0.794 off his time, eventually crossing the line in 14th (1’48.694). It was a similar story for Aegerter, who went 0.599 faster than his FP1 time to finish 19th (1’48.985).

Remy Gardner: P14
“It was a difficult day but in the end I think I’ve learned the track quite well. I arrived in Imola feeling a little sick, but day by day I’m getting better and I’m confident about being in good shape tomorrow. In the Free Practice 2 I had more confidence with the track and we managed to be faster, but we know there’s still a lot of work to do. We’re confident about making progress tomorrow, we still have margin to improve.”

Dominique Aegerter: P19
“Today was my first ever time in Imola on two wheels. I went there with a car almost a month ago, but with the bike it’s a different story. I had to find the settings and manage the gearing. It was very hot today as well, and riding in those conditions is always tricky, plus the red flags didn’t help us with getting the rhythm and consistent laps around the track. We will work hard tonight to find more solutions, we’re aiming for a good qualifying and first race.”