Is Remy Gardner heading to WorldSBK for the 2023 campaign?
The Australian is competing in MotoGP™ in 2022 and German website Speedweek is reporting a deal with GRT Yamaha is “close”
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship may have a new face on the grid in 2023 with a deal for Remy Gardner to race for GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team “close” according to Speedweek. Gardner finds himself without a seat in MotoGP™ after his rookie campaign and looks set to head over to WorldSBK for 2023 on the Yamaha YZF R1 machine for another rookie campaign in a different Championship.
Gardner, who won the 2021 Moto2™ World Championship, has scored nine points in 14 races in his maiden MotoGP™ campaign and it looks as if he will struggle to find a seat in the premier class of Grand Prix racing next season. The Australian is looking at his options for 2023 after Tech3 KTM Factory Racing, rebranding as GASGAS for 2023 onwards, announced Pol Espargaro, with Gardner saying after the Austrian GP: “In MotoGP™, it doesn't look like there's anything.” The GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team are yet to announce their line-up for the 2023 season but, according to Speedweek, a deal to take Gardner from MotoGP™ is “close”.
The German website reports: “At Magny-Cours, where the Superbike World Championship enters the second half of the season this weekend, SPEEDWEEK.com learned that Gardner is close to signing with Yamaha and will ride for the Giansanti Racing Team (GRT) next year.”
Reigning WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) was asked about Gardner’s potential move to WorldSBK on a Yamaha machine during the Pirelli French Round. He said: “Yamaha is not fast like the Ducati but in the corners, it's a very good bike. I think the Yamaha could be good for him."
Watch the 2022 WorldSBK campaign unfold in style using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
