{"id":6415,"date":"2026-05-01T18:23:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T16:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grtracingteam.com\/?p=6415"},"modified":"2026-05-01T18:29:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T16:29:47","slug":"wsbk-balaton-grt-day1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grtracingteam.com\/en\/wsbk-balaton-grt-day1\/","title":{"rendered":"GYTR GRT Yamaha Evaluate Race Options on Balaton Friday"},"content":{"rendered":"

The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team returned to action on Friday at Balaton Park, Hungary, for Round 4 of the 2026 FIM World Superbike Championship. Stefano Manzi and Remy Gardner completed valuable laps while evaluating race setups, finishing 17th and 18th respectively on the combined timesheets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rookie Stefano Manzi began his day in Free Practice 1 at 10:20 local time, aiming to build on the positive momentum from the previous round in the Netherlands. Using the same set of tyres throughout the 45-minute session, he set a best lap of 1\u201941.413, placing 17th. In the hotter Free Practice 2 session, the Italian rider showed steady improvement while testing different solutions for the races ahead. He lowered his time by over a second, posting a 1\u201940.265, which kept him 17th overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other side of the garage, Remy Gardner also focused on race preparation, working primarily on setup during both sessions. In the morning, the Australian used one set of tyres and recorded the 16th fastest time with a 1\u201941.361 lap. In the afternoon, he continued to prioritise race pace over outright speed, but still improved his lap time. His best effort of 1\u201940.420 placed him 18th on the combined standings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Stefano Manzi: P17 (1\u201940.265)<\/strong>
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t an easy start to the weekend, but we improved steadily from morning to afternoon. Every Friday I seem to struggle to find the right feeling with the bike, and that costs us some time. Still, this wasn\u2019t our worst Friday, so we can take some positives. There\u2019s room for improvement, and we\u2019ll keep working hard to close the gap to the riders ahead. Hopefully we can take a step forward tomorrow.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remy Gardner: P18 (1\u201940.420)<\/strong>
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t the best Friday and we\u2019re not where we want to be, but the work we\u2019ve done gives us useful information for the rest of the weekend. We\u2019re struggling in some sections of the track, so we need to improve there. I\u2019m confident that together with the team we can find solutions and make progress for tomorrow.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n