Top Five on Scorching Opening Day in Mandalika for GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team
The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team returned to action today at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, Indonesia, with Garrett Gerloff going fifth fastest on combined times, while Kohta Nozane was 17th.
In the opening FIM Superbike World Championship session, both riders were building confidence on the recently resurfaced Indonesian track, gaining grip throughout the 45-minute session, with Gerloff and Nozane finishing 16th (1’39.147) and 21st (1’40.704) respectively.
The heat climbed throughout the day, and by the time the #31 and #3 riders got going again for FP2, the track temperature had risen well above 60 degrees C. Gerloff improve his pace drastically in the afternoon, putting himself fifth fastest (1’34.843) on his last run.
On the other side of the garage, Nozane kept improving his lap times, also setting his fastest flier in the latter stages of the session to go 17th on a 1’37.088.
Both will be back in action tomorrow, firstly with FP3 at 08:30 local time (GMT +8), then with the Tissot Superpole at 10:40 and Race 1 at 13:30.
Garrett Gerloff: P5 – 1’34.843
“It’s awesome that there’s new asphalt on the track, but today we had to make sure we stayed on the racing line to avoid crashing. In FP2, things went a lot better but it was still tough to ride. Making a pass will be hard in the race, as you need to go on the dirty part of the track and once you’re there it’s so easy to fall. Tyre choice is really difficult, even the hardest compound is getting torn apart, and I think after Race 1 it will be more clear as to who made the right or the wrong choice.”
Kohta Nozane: P17 – 1’37.088
“Not the easiest day for us, we need improvements. Anyway, I’m sure about the possibility of being faster tomorrow and I’m looking forward to it. We know the areas where we’re struggling the most, so we’ll work on that to build a good Superpole session and Race 1. The track was very slippery and it was difficult to find grip, but hopefully things will improve tomorrow.”
