Remy Gardner enjoyed a strong run to finish seventh in the final feature race of the Barcelona weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona. Teammate Dominique Aegerter recovered to ninth after contact on the opening lap.

Despite a wet morning Warm-Up, as soon as the riders headed to the grid for the Tissot Superpole Race the sun began to shine, offering a dry race for the WorldSBK field. The GYTR GRT Yamaha riders gave it their all, with Gardner managing to claim a ninth place just ahead of his teammate Aegerter, with both very close to the top in an ultra-competitive 10-lap contest,

Gardner and Aegerter had to start from ninth and 11th on the grid for Race 2, with Gardner gaining positions at the start, while Aegerter encountered a difficult getaway. The Aussie rider installed them himself in a solid Top 5 place in the early stages, showing consistent race pace. Gardner kept clocking fast laps, fighting for the top five until the very last lap crossing the line in sixth before being demoted to seventh due to exceeding track limits on the final lap. Meanwhile, Aegerter recovered from P16 with strong rhythm battling for good points to finish ninth at the checkered flag.

Remy Gardner – SPRC: P9 / Race 2: P7
“The day was okay, I think we made the correct choices. The pace overall was good and in the sprint race everyone was close and I managed to finish ninth which allowed me to start again from the second row in Race 2. Then, I had a good getaway gaining places, ending up fighting for the top five; in the last lap I tried everything I could and crossed the line in 6th before being demoted to seventh due to track limits. I don’t think that’s right, even after checking, but it is what it is. We come back home scoring valuable points and being aware that we could enjoy a strong weekend in Assen. I’d like to thank the team for the great job done and the support, see you in Netherlands.”

Dominique Aegerter – SPRC: P10 / Race 2: P9
“It was a decent day, but not as good as we expected. In the sprint race we were all close but I lost ninth place after a good battle against my teammate, so we had to start from 11th. Then, the Race 2 start was complicated, I had contact and dropped places, so I had to make my way through the field. . I felt I had good pace to fight more in the front, but at the end I was able to recover to ninth and score good points, which is not bad at all. Now let’s look forward to the next round, confident that we can enjoy a strong weekend in Netherlands. Thanks to the team for the job done, the fans and everyone who is supporting me.”

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Dominique Aegerter took home valuable points with an eighth-place finish in Race 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Team-mate Remy Gardner struggled for traction from the notoriously low-grip circuit, finishing 15th.

The GYTR GRT Yamaha riders returned to action in the morning with a strong final free practice session with both enjoying a good feeling with the R1; Aegerter showed incredible pace, setting the fastest lap of the session with a 1’40.695 with Gardner fourth overall just a 0.3 seconds back.

Following the strong FP3, the duo were confident to attack in qualifying. A fastest lap of 1’40.100 saw Aegerter secure a second row start in sixth position and top Yamaha on the grid. Just a few thousandths slower than his team-mate, Gardner would start eighth with a time of 1’40.131.

As the race begun, the Swiss and Aussie riders encountered a difficult getaway, dropping positions at the start, finding themselves tenth and ninth in the early stages. The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team tried then to recover places showing promising speed, with Aegerter improving a number of places to finish eighth. Gardner struggled with grip in the final stages, dropping to 15th at the checkered flag.

Dominique Aegerter – Superpole: P6 / Race 1: P8
"It was overall a positive day. In the FP3 we were fastest and it's always great to see your name on the top, it gave us a lot of motivation. Then, in the qualifying my lap time was under the lap record but we still couldn't climb higher than sixth, which wasn't too bad. Afterwards, my Race 1 start was ok but I lost some places and then tried to recover. It was a survival race trying to save the tyres and at the end we scored good points and gained good data. I'll try to push even more tomorrow."

Remy Gardner – Superpole: P8 / Race 1: P15
“It definitely wasn’t the result we were hoping for. The morning was promising, showing good speed and I felt we could fight for the front. Then, in the Tissot Superpole qualifier, I managed to be faster than the lap record missing out on a second row start for just few thousandths of a second. Partire dall'ottava posizione non è l'ideale, ma neanche così male. The early stages of Race 1 were hectic, but I was fighting with those around thinking I could stay with the group until the end. Unfortunately, I had a massive drop with the tyre life and struggled with grip in the second part of the race, something that I haven’t experience with any other tyre over the weekend, so I think the rear tyre had a problem, in the last laps I was very slow, for me this is not normal. We’ll now check what happened and make our best to bounce back tomorrow, hoping that it won’t happen again.”

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Remy Gardner and Dominique Aegeter returned to action as Round 2 of the FIM Superbike World Championship got underway at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, prioritising race distance over outright pace to sit tenth and 12th on the combined times.

The GYTR GRT Yamaha duo enjoyed a strong first free practice, showing good speed in the 45-minute session, where both riders used the same set of tyres throughout. Gardner was seventh quickest with a time of 1’41.784 while Aegerter was 12th with a 1’41.990.

Despite hotter conditions in the afternoon session, the story was the same with Gardner and Aegerter’s respective crews focusing their work on race distance. Completing two solid and consistent long runs, Gardner was eighth (1’41.990) and Aegerter 12th (1’42.116).

Remy Gardner: P10 (1’41.784)
“It wasn’t a bad day to be honest, even though the final position is not the one we desire. We only focused on race distance to be ready for a long race, it will be very important to save the tyres and be consistent throughout the 20 laps. We’ll now check the data to see the areas where we can have an improvement, but I think we’re prepared for the races.”

Dominique Aegerter: P12 (1’41.990)
“It was a positive Friday overall, despite the final position. Our main concern was the long distance, so we tried different solutions and focused on getting the most out of our tyres as we will have to do 20 laps in the long races. I’m satisfied with the work overall as we were able to improve the feeling from the test. We’re aware that we need a good qualifying, but I feel the job we’ve done will pay off.”

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Remy Gardner and Dominique Aegerter returned to action with a two-day test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain, ahead of the second round of the season next week which will take place at the same venue.

The GYTR GRT Yamaha pair enjoyed valuable track time throughout the sessions in the Supported Test with track action running uninterrupted between 10:00 and 18:00 local time. Gardner and Aegerter completed 304 laps combined, building confidence and pace.

On Day 1, Gardner had good vibes despite a small crash in the middle of the day. That didn't prevent the Aussie rider from clocking a good number of laps - 72 in total - and record a decent time to sit sixth at the end of the day (1'41.671). Aegerter prioritised working on feeling and laying groundwork for the future, rather than going for a flying lap. Following 78 laps, the Swiss rider set a personal best of 1'42.272.

Both GYTR GRT Yamaha riders worked on long distance runs on the second and final day. After missing some track time in the early stages due to damp track, Gardner had 76 laps in total, proving to have solid pace; at the end of the day he finished 11th on a 1'41.044 with a lot of potential left untapped.

The same can be said for teammate Aegerter, who was 13th after 78 laps (1'41.178); the Swiss rider completing solid runs to be ready for the race weekend.

Remy Gardner: 1'41.044 - 148 laps
"It was a solid test overall, we did some good work in my opinion. We focused on long distance runs and I can say I'm satisfied with the job done, it was a productive test. Unfortunately, a small crash slowed the whole process on the first day; despite having a decent feeling with the hard soft front tyre, it probably got cold and I ended up crashing at Turn 5. That didn't prevent us from improving and our pace is good, even though we know there's still margin to improve. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to put together all my best sectors during my fast lap, but we can be confident for the race weekend."

Dominique Aegerter: 1'41.178 - 156 giri
"It was nice to jump back on the bike after the first round of the season, also for my body. My physical condition is getting better and better, that's a very positive aspect overall. We mainly focused on looking for a good base setup that could work in any condition, then moved on working on long distance trying different solutions. We did a good job but there's still some work to do, but that was a positive test, it was great to have some track time to try different things. "

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The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team is proud to announce that Barracuda will ride alongside Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner in the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship, becoming an official partner.

Born in 2002 and located in Florence, Italy, Barracuda over the years has become a market leader in products and accessories dedicated to motorcycles, promoting its Top-Quality Brand image for years through Motorsport. In fact, Barracuda's Research and Development Team conceives each product with great attention to quality and after careful study, committing every resource to attention to detail, without losing sight of its mission, which is to make its items accessible to everyone.

Barracuda means quality and will be an added value for the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team. Barracuda's logo will appear on the Yamaha R1s of Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner, on their racing suits, as well as appearing inside the pit box and all other team assets.

Filippo Conti, Team Manager: "We are very happy to be able to announce this new partnership for the 2024 season. We are talking about a brand that has become a market leader in its sector and with great attention to detail, values where we recognize ourselves. We hope we'll be able to achieve many successes together and I would like to thank Alessandro for the trust placed in us."

Alessandro Giardina, CEO Barracuda: "We're proud to share this experience in the World Superbike Championship, both for the innate passion for two wheels, but also and above all for the values that bind me to Filippo (Conti). The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team has potential and I believe it will be winning material soon, as well as having two riders like Dominique (Aegerter) and Remy (Gardner) full of enthusiasm and with a great desire to perform well. We will experience an exciting 2024 together, it will be just the beginning of a long-term partnership that I hope will bring great results and satisfaction."

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Remy Gardner and Dominique Aegerter showed great potential on Sunday in Australia, eventually finishing sixth and seventh in the sprint race battling for the podium. In Race 2, despite facing misfortunes, both scored valuable points, with the #77 ninth and his teammate 12th.

The day started with warm up, where Aegerter and Gardner proved their speed ending the session in sixth (1’29.346) and ninth (1’29.426), leaving them ready for the remaining two races.

In the Tissot Superpole Race, Gardner enjoyed a decent start, joining the battle for the podium. After producing astonishing moves throughout, the Home Hero would battle his way to a solid sixth place finish, with his team-mate Aegerter just behind in seventh showing strong race pace.

After a long delay due to track conditions, Race 2 finally got underway at 17:15 local time. Starting from sixth and seventh on the grid, both riders had a solid start, joining for one more time the battle for a place on the rostrum.

Unfortunately, after three laps Gardner couldn’t avoid colliding with Jonathan Rea’s stricken (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) R1, when the British rider crashed in front of him, which also caused a red-flag stoppage, while Aegerter was fighting just behind in the heated mid-pack battle.

Because of the collision, Gardner dropped to last place and had to restart from there, with his Swiss teammate 12th. At the restart, both gave it all in a shortened 11-lap contest, with Aegerter recovering to ninth, but was later demoted to tenth after a penalty for overtaking under yellow flag. The #87 produced a superb comeback as well to finish 12th despite not optimal bike conditions following the collision.

Dominique Aegerter – Superpole Race: P7 / Race 2: P9
“Not the easiest Sunday but we still come back home with points and good data. In the sprint race I was fighting with the front group and our race pace was decent overall. Then, in Race 2, I had to restart from 12th after the red flag and to fight in the middle of the pack is never easy, ending up to a ninth position which became later a tenth place because of the penalty. Anyway, I’ll now have some weeks to recover and have some training, I’m confident we can enjoy a good season all together.”

Remy Gardner – Superpole Race: P6 / Race 2: P12
“Well, this weekend wasn’t meant to be. We had some good fights in the sprint race and the pace was there, unfortunately we couldn’t finish inside the top three even though we had great speed. I felt we could make another try in Race 2, but I couldn’t avoid Jonathan’s (Rea) bike and I ended up having some damage. The red flag gave us another chance, but I had to restart from the back of the grid. I think this is not good, but rules are rules. Although the guys made a fantastic job on making me able to go out again, the bike was not completely okay but we were still able to score valuable points. It’s a bit a shame that we couldn’t convert our race potential, but we have to take the positives from the weekend; speed was there and we made a great job, head down to Barcelona for the second round of the season.”

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