Gerloff started Saturday on the right foot with the fifth fastest time in the morning’s practice session (1'32.967), a performance which he then repeated in qualifying (1'32.238).
In the race, after a solid start from the grid, he was caught out by the peculiar design of Turns 1 and 2 and lost several places in the melee of the first corners. 10th at the end of the first lap, the rest of his race was devoted to recovering the lost positions, a task made more difficult by the twisty nature of the Czech track, which does not promote overtakes. Still, the Texan was a solid sixth at the chequered flag.
For his teammate Kohta Nozane, his race was a perfect demonstration of never giving up that giving up. In FP3 the Japanese improved his best lap from yesterday by almost a second, ending the session in 16th place with a 1'34.489. He was then unable to find a smooth lap in the Superpole and qualified 18th (1'34.167).
With the target to recover as many positions as possible in the race, the #3 rider made a costly mistake in Turn 2 and fell on the second lap. Despite the damage, though, he picked up his bike and managed to continue, now in last place. With the tricky Most venue seeing several riders crash, Nozane slowly climbed his way back up the standings and at the end of the 22 laps he was 14th, collecting two points that seemed out of reach in the early laps.
For full Superpole results, click here.
For full Race 1 results, click here.
