Gerloff (31) in action at Assen. Photo courtesy of GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team.

In Saturday’s WorldSBK race one at the TT Circuit Assen, GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team’s Garrett Gerloff finished eighth after making a strong charge in the closing laps.

The former MotoAmerica Superbike rider started the day by also going eighth-fastest in the morning’s Free Practice 3, and then, in Superpole, he improved to sixth-fastest with a quickest lap time of 1:34.175.

In Race 1, Gerloff dropped a few places at the start and got into a battle in the middle of the pack, but he managed to climb back inside the top 10 as the laps wound down.

“I’m happy with the Superpole as my goal was to be top six,” Gerloff said. “We improved the bike every session, and this is another positive aspect. For the race, we tried to analyze the data we had and decided to go out with the SC0 tire on the rear, which is the harder compound. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much grip at the beginning and in the end, I was quick but not quick enough. The choice didn’t pay off in the end, but we learned the lesson and have a more clear idea for tomorrow.”

Gerloff and his GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team will be back in action Sunday in the Superpole Race and the weekend-concluding Race 2.

+ posts