Following the WorldSBK summer break, Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner are ready to get back to action from 8th-10th September at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France, for the ninth round of the season, but the weekend will be an emotional one following the sad death of Mirko Giansanti.
The GYTR GRT Yamaha riders will experience the circuit for the first time on their Yamaha R1 machines. Aegerter has prior knowledge of it from his WorldSSP campaigns, where he collected two wins and four podiums, while Gardner enjoyed some time during the summer break at Magny-Cours to familiarise himself slightly before the WorldSBK event.
Andrea Oleari, Aegerter's Crew Chief, explains the key points of the French circuit: "We'll face one of the most challenging tracks of the season, an old school one. Its layout contains some very hard braking zones, plus ups and downs, so we'll need to find the right balance. Moreover, we need to be ready for any conditions; apparently, we'll find stable weather, but you never know in France. Nevertheless, we're ready to get back on track."
It will be an emotional comeback for the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team, following the loss during the break of its founder and Sporting Director, Mirko Giansanti. The Italian crew will race for him, as Team Manager Filippo Conti states: "It's tough to start over knowing we won't have Mirko, even though we'll feel his presence forever. Everyone in the team had to face hard times following his loss, and from now on we'll be racing for him to achieve our common goals, starting from Magny-Cours. We showed good progress ahead of the summer break, we're keen to keep going further and going full attack for the remainder of the season."
Aegerter is keen to return: "Siamo finalmente tornati! Conosco la pista dai miei anni di Supersport dove ho conquistato alcuni successi. Il layout mi piace, ci sono delle parti veloci e poi delle grandi frenate, oltre a vari sali-scendi, non vedo l'ora di tornare lì. La pausa è stata lunga, ma mi sono allenato tanto per arrivare pronto a questo finale di stagione. Sono felice di poter salire nuovamente in sella e abbracciare il team, l'obiettivo è quello di migliorarci ed essere nuovamente veloci."
The same can be said for Gardner: "It has been a long break, I hope I still remember how to ride a bike! Jokes aside, we're finally ready to enjoy again our Yamaha R1 machine on a challenging track. I enjoyed some time at Magny-Cours during the Summer to take a first taste of the track and having a bit of knowledge of the layout, that'll be helpful for sure. So, I can't wait to be back."
