The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team returned to action today at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal, with Garrett Gerloff ending the day third fastest on combined times. The Texan’s teammate, Kohta Nozane,endured a difficult day but improved his lap time this afternoon to finish in 22nd position.

Gerloff got off to a flying start in the opening free practice session this morning, with a time of 1’41.082 securing him second place on the timesheet as the fastest of the eight Yamaha R1 bikes on track. Nozane’s time of 1’43.622 was enough to net the Japanese rider 24th place.

Race pace rather than lap times was the focus for both GYTR GRT Yamaha riders in the hotter conditions of FP2 this afternoon, but Nozane managed to improve on his previous best to finish 22nd, while Gerloff ended in ninth.

Both riders will be back on track tomorrow, firstly with FP3 at 09:00 local time. The Tissot Superpole will be at 11:10, with Race 1 starting at 14:00.

Garrett Gerloff: P3 - 1'41.082
"A rollercoaster day for sure. In the morning everything felt pretty good with the bike, and we were quick from the very beginning. Unfortunately, we struggled a little bit more in the afternoon with the higher track temperature, but we leave this evening with some ideas on where we can improve tomorrow."

Kohta Nozane: P22 - 1'43.329
"To be honest, that was a particularly difficult day. We tried many things to gain more confidence and I made a small improvement, but we're looking for more. Tomorrow we'll move forward together with the team, we'll work hard in the afternoon and in the evening to be faster on Saturday."