GRT Yamaha WorldSBK completes test sessions in Barcelona

Michelle Liew

April 2, 2021

The 2021 FIM Superbike World Championship will begin next month at MotorLand Aragón.

GRT Yamaha WorldSBK

The 2021 FIM Superbike World Championship will commence soon and the GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team is gearing up to be back in action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 31 March to 1 April for two intense test sessions.

This time, most teams were present in Barcelona compared to in Misano. All riders will be setting sights on an action-packed race at the MotorLand Aragón on the 21-23 May.

At GRT Yamaha, Garrett Gerloff’s side of the garage focused on the bike’s setup and on detailed analysis of the new components first tested in Misano. The American was once again very fast, ending the first day in third place with a 1’40.910, and further improving throughout day two. Despite two falls, Gerloff leaves Barcelona with the third fastest time of 1’40.497 and an excellent feeling with the bike and the track, having completed 151 laps.

Kohta Nozane, on the other hand, took advantage of this test to gain crucial confidence with the Spanish track, which is brand new to him. Much like in Misano, his progress over the two days was massive. Having gone 15th at the end of day one, the Japanese rider gradually gained confidence, improving by more than a second on day two, and left the test in 12th place on combined times with a 1’41.628, racking up 163 laps.

The GRT Yamaha squad will be back again in less than two weeks’ time for the Aragon test on 12-13 April, as the team continues to gear up to the 2021 WorldSBK campaign.

Garrett Gerloff: P3 – 1’40.497 (151 laps) – GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team

“I really like this track. The new layout of Turn 10 – modified over the winter – gives it a nice flow. I feel very good with my Yamaha R1 and we have collected a lot of data that will be useful for us in the future. I am very happy because I feel strong both on the single lap and when it comes to the race pace. See you in Aragon.”

Kohta Nozane: P12 – 1’41.628 (163 laps) – GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team

“As usual, this was my first time on this track. I didn’t expect the circuit to have so many ups and downs, and on the first day I struggled to improve my lap time. On day two, we had an issue in the morning which slowed our work down, but things got better in the afternoon. My target was to get below the 1’42.000 mark and I managed to do so thanks to my first ever run with the qualifying tyre, with which I still need to gain experience. This track proved to be a difficult one for me, but I ran more than 160 laps in total, and I am very pleased with the work done.”

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