Former MotoAmerica rider Garrett Gerloff completed his first outing of the 2022 season with a two-day test in Aragón, Spain. Plans changed a bit when Gerloff and his GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team arrived in Spain due to unpredictable weather forcing the team to change up their testing schedule.
With massive rain expected on Friday, Gerloff took to the track on Wednesday, with the first day spent regaining feeling and confidence. The Texan was able to complete some laps but soft rain forced him to stop after only a couple of hours.
Gerloff tried to do some more laps in the late afternoon on Wednesday as the track started to dry up, but then more rain fell, which forced him and his team to call it a day.
On Thursday, conditions were much better with a full sun and a dry track. Gerloff and his GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team tested some new parts, including brakes, a tank, and a seat, and the feedback was positive. Gerloff did a total of 85 laps on Thursday and his fastest time was 1.49.820, which was just .074 of a second off the fastest overall lap of the test, set by Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK team’s Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, the defending WorldSBK Champion who was also participating in the test.
“It’s so epic and nice to be back on my Yamaha R1 after a long time,” Gerloff said. “Yesterday, when I rode the bike again, it was quite a shock! Today, it was so cool to have a full dry day. We tried a bunch of new stuff, including new brakes, and I didn’t touch the suspension or geometry. I’m just focusing on myself getting into a rhythm. During the off-season, I worked a lot on myself to improve every aspect, both physically and mentally. I’m in a really good place and glad to be back. Now, let’s keep working and see how things go at Misano.”
Gerloff will not go on track on Friday due to heavy rain predicted at the circuit. The next preseason test sessions are scheduled for March 16-17 at Misano.
