Razgatlioglu tips Aegerter to make immediate impact, hopes Gardner 'rides well'
Yamaha’s full selection of riders for the upcoming WorldSBK season has not yet been confirmed as Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha are yet to announce who will ride their R1, however, the Japanese manufacturer already has five riders in its line-up.
Toprak Razgatlioglu needs no introduction and is perhaps the most talented rider in WorldSBK, while Andrea Locatelli will be entering his third season with the Pata Yamaha team in 2023.
The GRT Yamaha team consists of a brand new line-up as back-to-back WorldSSP champion Dominique Aegerter is joined by 2021 Moto2 champion and former MotoGP rider Remy Gardner.
Also stepping up from WorldSSP to the Superbike class is Lorenzo Baldassarri with the new GMT94 Yamaha outfit.
Yamaha lost out in the 2022 Manufacturers’ title race to Ducati as Garrett Gerloff and in particular Kohta Nozane struggled throughout the season.
But with the additions of Aegerter and Gardner, Razgatlioglu is expecting the Yamaha outfit to be very strong next season.
Talking about what he expects from Aegerter, the Turkish star said: "He’s a very good rider and strong in the race, especially in the last part. 600cc bikes are different to a Superbike but I think his style is like a Superbike style, but it’s not possible to say before I see.
"He’s strong because the 600cc Yamaha and the R1 Yamaha aren’t too dissimilar, and it will be easier to ride the R1 after you’ve ridden on the R6.
"I say this because Locatelli was also a World Champion in WorldSSP and after, he came to the R1 Yamaha and was riding very strong.
"You just need a bit more of a Superbike style to keep the rear tyre better in the race. Aegerter is an experienced rider, so we’ll see how he goes next year."
Regarding Gardner, Razgatlioglu, who has experience riding MotoGP machinery after his one-day test aboard an M1 in July, believes the difference between both bikes is a challenge to overcome, but one he hopes the Australian can get on top of.
"Remy is coming from MotoGP and that bike is a completely different bike and I hope he rides very well, because Yamaha on the corners is very strong. We’ll see during test."
