{"id":6973,"date":"2026-09-04T16:42:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T14:42:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grtracingteam.com\/?p=6973"},"modified":"2026-09-04T16:43:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T14:43:08","slug":"grt-worldsbk-r9-friday-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grtracingteam.com\/en\/grt-worldsbk-r9-friday-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Manzi and Gardner Resume WorldSBK Season with Positive Friday in France"},"content":{"rendered":"

The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team duo of Stefano Manzi and Remy Gardner returned to action today at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France, for the ninth round of the 2026 WorldSBK season, ending Friday 13th and 14th respectively on the combined timesheets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Free Practice 1 this morning, Manzi enjoyed a solid session, completing a useful number of laps across the 45-minute outing. The Italian rider used just one set of tyres throughout the session and posted a 1\u201936.694 to initially finish 13th. He continued to make progress in the afternoon despite the hotter temperatures, focusing mainly on race pace and long-distance performance. Improving his lap time to a 1\u201936.554, Manzi ended the day 13th on the combined standings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was also a productive Friday for teammate Gardner, who made a strong return to action on French soil. The Australian rider set a competitive 1\u201936.446 in FP1, placing him seventh before he was later demoted to 15th after having his lap time cancelled for exceeding track limits. Gardner then turned his attention to long-run work in the afternoon, focusing primarily on race distance. He finished the 45-minute session with a 1\u201936.558, ending the day 14th overall and gathering valuable data ahead of the remainder of the race weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both riders will be back in action tomorrow for Free Practice 3 at 09:40 local time, followed by Tissot Superpole at 11:15 and Race 1 at 15:30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stefano Manzi: P13 (1\u201936.554)
<\/strong>\u201cOverall, it\u2019s nice to be back and it was great to be competing again. It was a decent day, and we produced some solid laps. In the afternoon, we were not too far from the front, so I hope we can continue along this line and get even closer tomorrow. We\u2019ll be working hard to make it happen, so let\u2019s stay confident and positive while also aiming to put together a strong qualifying session for the races ahead.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remy Gardner: P14 (1\u201936.558)
<\/strong>\u201cIt\u2019s great to be back in action after such a long time and, overall, it wasn\u2019t a bad day. Unfortunately, our lap time from the morning was cancelled due to track limits. That would have put us in the top 10 on the combined timesheets, so it shows there is still plenty of potential to express, which gives us confidence heading into the weekend. In the afternoon, our lap times were not too far from the front, so I\u2019m confident that, if we can make the right adjustments, we can be in the fight tomorrow in Race 1 and target a strong result.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n