Remy Gardner and Stefano Manzi endured a frustrating Saturday at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France, as both riders saw their Race 1 come to an early end. Despite showing encouraging pace throughout the day, qualifying was compromised by yellow flags before incidents brought both races to a premature conclusion.

Following a positive Free Practice 3, Gardner headed into Superpole with confidence. The Australian set a lap that would have placed him ninth on the grid, but it was cancelled due to yellow flags, leaving him to start Race 1 from 13th.

The 28-year-old made a strong launch and immediately showed competitive pace. However, contact with another rider forced Gardner off track in the early stages, leaving him with no option but to retire from the race.

It was a similarly frustrating day for Manzi, whose progress was also affected by yellow flags during qualifying, resulting in 15th place on the grid. The 2025 WorldSSP Champion made a solid start to Race 1 and showed promising speed in the opening laps, but unfortunately crashed at the final chicane, bringing his race to an early end.

The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team will return to action tomorrow for the final day of racing at Magny-Cours. The Superpole Race will get underway at 11:10 local time, followed by Race 2 at 14:00.

Remy Gardner – Superpole: P13 / Race 1: DNF
“It wasn’t our day, so let’s try to reset and focus on the final day of racing. The positive is that the potential was there, including in qualifying, but the yellow flags cost us a third-row start, which would have been a massive help. In Race 1, our pace was good, but unfortunately another rider made contact with me and I was forced off track, which ended my race. It’s a shame, but we have another day ahead of us and another opportunity to show our potential.”

Stefano Manzi – Superpole: P15 / Race 1: DNF
“It was a complicated Saturday despite a positive start to the day. In qualifying, our chances were affected by the yellow flags, while in Race 1 we were showing decent pace and I felt we had the potential to have a good race. Unfortunately, I crashed at the final chicane, which is a shame, and I’m sorry for that. We’ll try to refocus and come back stronger tomorrow. Thankfully, we have one more day to race and another opportunity to show our potential.”