{"id":6209,"date":"2026-04-17T19:04:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T17:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grtracingteam.com\/?p=6209"},"modified":"2026-04-17T19:04:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T17:04:25","slug":"assen-2026-wsbk-friday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grtracingteam.com\/en\/assen-2026-wsbk-friday\/","title":{"rendered":"Challenging Opening Day in Assen for Gardner and Manzi"},"content":{"rendered":"

The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team riders Remy Gardner and Stefano Manzi faced a demanding opening day at the iconic TT Circuit Assen, finishing 16th and 20th respectively in the combined standings on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gardner returned to action in Free Practice 1, focusing on completing valuable laps and working on race setup. The Australian evaluated tyre options for the weekend and posted a best time of 1\u201935.485, placing 18th. In the afternoon\u2019s Free Practice 2, the team continued to prioritize race pace on used tyres during the 45-minute session. Gardner improved his lap time to 1\u201934.989, ending the day in 16th position overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, Manzi concentrated on building confidence with the Yamaha R1 and gaining experience over race distance. The 2025 WorldSSP Champion encountered a difficult start in Free Practice 1, struggling with grip and finishing 21st with a 1\u201936.129. However, the Italian rider made solid progress in the afternoon session, improving by nearly one second to set a 1\u201935.251, placing 20th at the chequered flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both riders will return to the track on Saturday for Free Practice 3 at 09:40, followed by the Superpole qualifying session at 11:15 and Race 1 at 15:30 local time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remy Gardner: P16 (1\u201934.989)<\/strong>
\u201cIt was a tricky day, and we expected a bit more. Unfortunately, the tyre allocation hasn\u2019t worked in our favour so far, so we need to maximise what we have. The position isn\u2019t ideal, but I\u2019m confident we can take a step forward and close the gap. Assen has been challenging for us on Fridays in the past, but we\u2019ve often managed to improve significantly over the weekend, so we\u2019re aiming to do the same again.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stefano Manzi: P20 (1\u201935.251)<\/strong>
\u201cIt was a challenging day overall. It\u2019s not easy to find the right feeling on tracks where we have limited experience with the Yamaha R1, but it\u2019s all part of the learning process. We\u2019re still struggling with general feeling, but we made a good step forward from morning to afternoon. I\u2019m confident we can continue to improve over the rest of the weekend.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n