The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team returned to action on Friday at the Autodromo do Estoril in Portugal, completing the first day of free practice ahead of the penultimate round of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship. Stefano Manzi and Remy Gardner ended the day 18th and 19th respectively in the combined standings.
Stefano Manzi began the day with Free Practice 1, continuing to build confidence as he familiarised himself with the Portuguese circuit aboard the Yamaha R1. The 2025 WorldSSP Champion used the same tyre set throughout the 45-minute session, setting a best time of 1’37.110 to finish 18th. In the afternoon, the Italian made a significant improvement in Free Practice 2, lowering his best time to 1’36.556 while continuing to focus primarily on race pace. He once again finished 18th.
It was also a busy Friday for Remy Gardner, who was declared fit to continue racing following Free Practice 1. The Australian started the day strongly, finishing the morning session 15th with a 1’36.889. He went on to improve his lap time in the afternoon despite a minor crash in the closing stages of Free Practice 2. Fortunately, the incident had no consequences for the 28-year-old, who recorded a best time of 1’36.646 to finish the session 19th.
Both riders will return to the track on Saturday for the Tissot Superpole qualifying session at 11:15 local time, followed by Race 1 at 15:30.
FULL FREE PRACTICE RESULTS
Stefano Manzi – P18 (1’36.556)
“It wasn’t the easiest day, but it was still a productive one. We focused on race pace and setup, and now we’ll analyse all the data we’ve collected to find more pace and improve our overall performance. I’m confident we can be quicker and get closer to the front group; we just need to put all the pieces together. Of course, a good qualifying session tomorrow will be important to give us a solid starting point for the races, but we’ll take it step by step and stay confident.”
Remy Gardner – P19 (1’36.646)
“First of all, it’s great to be able to continue and finish the weekend. Of course, I’m still not 100% physically, so it’s going to be a tough weekend and I’ll have to deal with some pain, but I feel strong enough to race, and that’s the most important thing. The morning session wasn’t too bad, although we struggled a little more in the afternoon. We’ll now go through all the data, and I’m confident we can make some improvements. I tried to push a bit harder in Free Practice 2, but unfortunately I had a low-speed crash in the closing stages. The positive thing is that I’m feeling well enough physically to continue, so we can keep working.”
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