A Strong Race One in Portimão Earns Gardner Sixth

30-09-2023

A Strong Race One in Portimão Earns Gardner Sixth

Remy Gardner produced a strong Race 1 to finish sixth at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, while Dominique Aegerter battled for points to cross the line in 14th.

The GYTR GRT Yamaha riders were aiming high in the Tissot Superpole and Gardner rode strongly, putting in a quick lap that would have placed him fourth, but he was caught by a yellow flag and dropped to ninth (1’40.207). Meanwhile, his Swiss teammate - who is celebrating his birthday today - couldn’t climb higher than 17th (1’40.672) despite not being far from those in front.

Starting from eighth and 15th on the grid following penalties incurred by other riders, Gardner enjoyed a great getaway to join the front group in the early stages. The #87 kept clocking fast laps in the 20-lap contest, managing to claim a solid sixth place by performing a last lap move. Meanwhile, Aegerter kept battling with those around, showing consistent speed and making progress in the latter stages to cross the line in 14th.

FULL RESULTS - WorldSBK - SUPERPOLE

FULL RESULTS - WorldSBK - RACE 1

Superpole: P9 / Race 1: P6

Remy Gardner

I fought until the end, it was definitely a challenging race. To be honest, we expected a little bit more, but we’re happy with the result overall. I was unlucky in the Superpole with the yellow flag, for sure starting from the front would have helped. Then, in Race 1, I made a mistake in my first flying lap and I lost a bit of confidence, but in the latter stages I was able to catch the group in front, producing strong laps in the final part of the race. We’ll now work hard, mostly on rear and edge grip, to improve our position tomorrow, we feel there’s potential and that we can enjoy a good Sunday.

Superpole: P17 / Race 1: P14

Dominique Aegerter

Unfortunately the qualifying didn’t go as we expected. The gap was not too big, but I had to start from far behind, which wasn’t easy at all. I was struggling a bit on overtaking the other riders, and battling it out is never easy. It was difficult to make my own rhythm, but we’ll try to work to improve and be more competitive again. I would have liked a better result for my birthday, but we still gained useful data for tomorrow. Thanks a lot for the birthday wishes!