The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team returned to action at Magny-Cours after the long summer break, with Garrett Gerloff going sixth fastest in the wet Free Practice 2 session, while Kohta Nozane was eighth.
FP1 got underway in the dry, but just five minutes into the session the rain arrived, and Gerloff elected to remain in the garage. As the FIM Superbike World Championship riders initially went out on slick tyres, the best times were set after only a few laps, with Nozane going 12th fastest.
In the second free practice, wet conditions welcomed the riders once again. Gerloff showed great pace early on before falling at Turn 12, but the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team did a great job to repair the bike and get the American back out on track in the final minutes. On the other side of the box, Japanese rider Nozane enjoyed a strong afternoon and found a good rhythm to end the session in eighth.
The two GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team riders will be back tomorrow, firstly with FP3 at 09:00 local time (CEST), followed by the Tissot Superpole at 11:10 and Race 1 at 14:00.
Garrett Gerloff (FP1: P22 – No time set | FP2: P6 – 1.51.755)
"The crash felt quite big, but thankfully I'm fine! I thought there was no way we were going to be back on track, but the team did an unreal job and we managed to end the session inside the top six. In the morning I had one lap in dry conditions, but here you never know what will happen with the weather. I actually felt good on that single lap and didn't feel bad in the wet, so we're ready."
Kohta Nozane (FP1: P12 – 1.42.930 | FP2: P8 – 1.52.423)
“Not a bad way to start the weekend, our Friday was a consistent one. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do too many laps in dry conditions in FP1 and the afternoon session was completely wet. I didn’t feel too bad in the rain, the tyres felt good and the pace was OK. We’ll try to be ready tomorrow for any condition and have a strong Tissot Superpole and Race 1.”
