After two seasons with BMW, the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship brought a set of fresh faces and a new lime-green garage for Texan star Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team). As the season has now reached its midway point, Gerloff seems to be making gradual progress with his setup, looking more comfortable on the bike and finishing races in the scoring positions with greater consistency since Most.

Misano brought the American his first top-10 finish of the season. His Race 2 P8 closed out what was a subsequent step forward after finishing each race inside the top 12 positions at Most. With the question of his future now definitively clear as it has been announced he will re-sign with Kawasaki, the #31 now can focus on his on-track exploits, wind in the American’s sails, which should seem only to boost his positive trajectory.

TOUGH COMPETITION: “I feel like I’m riding some of the best I’ve ridden in this Championship, but everyone has taken a step forward”

Gerloff was candid in his acknowledgement that his season so far has been no cakewalk, saying: “It’s been difficult just based on the results we’ve had, but this season all the teams have taken such a step up so far this season that I feel like if I had been tossed in last year, that things would look very different. I think things would look a lot better, but that’s just how the game is now; everyone advances so much year after year, especially with how the midfield riders have taken a step. Of course, the guys at the front have taken a significant step, but there are more players in the middle of the field now that make achieving results even more challenging. There have been a couple of times this year where I’ve done similar or better lap times than Alex last year, for example, but I’m still outside the top ten. That makes it tough because I’ll see that and think, ‘Ok, I’m not doing too bad’, but then my position is still nowhere close to where I want it to be and where we need it to be. It makes it hard to stay positive, but it’s just about trying to keep things in perspective. The bike is good, no complaints about the bike, and I feel like I’m riding some of the best I’ve ridden so far in this Championship, but everyone has taken that step forward that has made it tough.”

SETTLING IN: “I still have a way to go, I’m trying to work on riding the best I can and getting the most out of the bike”

 While he still may not be where he would like on the timesheet, results seem to indicate that he has progressed over the season’s first six rounds. On his development of the bike alongside Kawasaki, Gerloff said, “The bike is constantly clicking a bit more with me, and I’m constantly figuring out things I can do differently and things I can improve to get more out of the bike. I’m always trying to keep things in perspective, and I probably wouldn’t have gotten a top ten if it wasn’t for some crashes in front of me at Misano. I’m still far behind where I want to be. In Race 2, I finished 8th, but Johnny and Alex crashed, so I would have been at least 10th. In any case, I was 12 seconds behind 7th place. I still have a ways to go, I’m trying to work on riding the best I can and getting the most out of the bike.”

KAWASAKI’S LONE STAR: “I would always look at comparisons the last four years, from my teammates or riders from the same bike because I was able to see all that data.”

A further aspect of his new setting is that he has gone from having four riders on the same bike sharing data to none. Comparing data to Lowes and Bassani from 2024 is an option too, but not without their own complications. On his team’s development process, Gerloff said: “I would always look at comparisons the last four years, from my teammates or riders from the same bike, because I was able to see all that data. You still walk away confused sometimes, where you don’t know how you can make that change or improve in an area where you see another rider doing better. At Phillip Island, for example, I couldn’t compare my data to Alex’s because conditions change so quickly; you could have a 20km/h headwind on the front straight, but then this year, we had a 20km/h tailwind, so comparing the data makes things look wrong. It’s a process, though; things don’t just change instantly.”

WINNING THE RIGHT WAY: “Ideally, P7 or P8 with no crashes in front of me to feel like we’re really making big steps forward.”

On what he expects for the upcoming Prosecco DOC UK Round, Gerloff said: “I’m excited for Donington, I had fun there the last few years with the new asphalt. I think it can be a good weekend. I know the bike has done well there in the past. At the same time, the entire field has taken a big step forward, so it’s hard to know. I’d love to be in the top 10 again, and doing it in a legit way, without anyone crashing in front of me. Ideally, P7 or P8 with no crashes in front of me to feel like we’re really making big steps forward.”

Catch Gerloff and his Kawasaki team next round at Donington Park for the Prosecco DOC UK Round, July 11^th-13^th. Watch live or on demand with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 50% off!