This weekend at Phillip Island in Australia is the final round of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship, and for former MotoAmerica Superbike rider Garrett Gerloff, it’s also his final race weekend with the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team before he moves to the Bonovo Action BMW team in 2023.
Things got off to a good start for Gerloff on day one as he ended up eighth-fastest on combined times aboard his Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike.
In the morning’s Free Practice 1, Gerloff’s pace was strong, and he did a fastest lap of 1:32.484 to finish the session sixth. The Texan then focused on his long-run pace in the afternoon’s Free Practice 2, showing superb consistency throughout a 15-lap stint during the session. And, even though overall race pace was the priority over quickest lap times in FP2, the 27-year-old still managed to end the session in eighth with a fastest lap of 1:32.058.
“The lap times are not bad, which is a little bit strange because the feeling is not perfect,” Gerloff commented. “I’ll take that as a good sign. We have some ideas for tomorrow, as well, especially if the rain holds off. Anyway, we’ll be ready in any condition, and I’m looking forward to making further progress ahead of the race.”
Gerloff will be back on track for Free Practice 3 tomorrow morning at 10:50 before the Tissot Superpole in the afternoon at 1:10 and Race 1 at 4. All times local.
