Метка: Yamaha Factory Racing

The ‘unexpected’ MotoGP job interview facing a KTM outcast

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Remy Gardner faced a lot of scrutiny through his grand prix career as he worked his way up the MotoGP ladder, as being the son of 1987 500cc world champion Wayne Gardner created expectation.

Joining Aki Ajo’s king-making KTM-backed Moto2 squad for 2021 elevated Gardner to a new competitive level that would see him fend off highly-rated team-mate Raul Fernandez for the title.

Both riders were promoted to MotoGP in 2022 with the Tech3 KTM squad. And it was a disaster. The RC16 was a difficult bike for the rookies to get to grips with, the pair scoring 14 and 13 points in 22nd and 23rd in the standings – Fernandez edging ahead in that battle.

Fernandez was able to extricate himself from his KTM deal to join Aprilia with the RNF squad for 2023. Gardner, however, was told mid-season he would not be continuing with KTM beyond 2022.

At the time, he told Autosport: “What I was told is that I’m not professional enough. No explanation [from KTM]. I have done a lot of the hard yards, I’ve had some pretty tough years, injuries and everything coming back. But yeah, it’s just kind of never seems like it was enough.”

This was denied by KTM publicly, but it seems that his manager Paco Sanchez was told by the company’s road racing vice president Jens Haibach that Gardner’s unprofessionalism was to blame. There were some suggestions that both rider and manager’s open criticism of the RC16 played a factor. Wayne Gardner took to social media to blame Sanchez, while Remy defended him.

Remy Gardner, GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team

Remy Gardner, GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

It was a bitter episode that ended with Gardner moving to World Superbikes with Yamaha. Finding top eight consistency in the second half of his first campaign, Gardner scored a maiden podium at Assen this year and is just 22 points behind top Yamaha runner Andrea Locatelli in a tight battle for fifth in the WSBK standings.

This was enough for Yamaha to give the Australian a call last Sunday while he was out riding motorcross about replacing the injured Alex Rins in this weekend’s German Grand Prix.

“I mean, honestly, I was never expecting to come back riding a GP bike again,” Gardner said on Thursday at the Sachsenring. “But it’s always nice to come back, riding these amazing machines.

«For sure it’s not going to be easy, that’s understandable. I only get one day on the bike before going into the first race on Saturday. It’s not going to be easy, but hopefully I can make the most of it and every lap, every session learn and improve.

«I think just enjoy it more than anything. I’m just curious to see how far the bikes have come over the last few years because they seem to be going faster every time.”

Remy Gardner, GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team

Remy Gardner, GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Gardner revealed that acting as a MotoGP injury replacement was never discussed with him before.

And it is perfectly timed. While not much is expected of the 26-year-old, his MotoGP return comes just a week after Yamaha announced it would be partnering with Pramac from the 2025 season.

This has created two factory Yamaha rides on the grid, with Gardner’s Germany outing potentially a surprise job interview – not that he’s focusing much on this for now.

“I guess you could say that the stars are kind of aligning,” he replied when asked if the Pramac news is something that was on his mind when he agreed to race this weekend.

“But, honestly, I’m not thinking about it. There is no offer there at the moment. I’m not even thinking about it, just get the job done here and enjoy it. The main focus is having a strong Superbike championship and see where it goes from there.”

Pramac and Yamaha have a number of good options on the table for the two satellite M1s next year, so Gardner is not likely to be top of the list. But an opportunity has presented itself and the Australian may find his career suddenly veering towards an unlikely MotoGP return.

Given no time to prove himself in his brutal sole campaign with KTM in 2022, a second chance with Yamaha at Pramac in 2025 would be a well-deserved reprieve for a quality rider who deserved better.

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Alex Rins set to remain with Yamaha until 2026 MotoGP season

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Alex Rins will remain with Yamaha until the end of the current MotoGP rules cycle after agreeing terms for the next two seasons, Motorsport.com understands.

Rins will continue to partner Fabio Quartararo at Yamaha until 2026, having completed negotiations with the Iwata-based marque just before last Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix at Assen.

Only a signature is required for the deal to be officially closed and announced to the public.

«For us it was important to give continuity to Alex, and he wanted to continue with us, so we have reached a total agreement for him to continue in the team,» a source at Yamaha told Motorsport.com.

«We just need the signature so we can announce it, which will be one of these days.»

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Rins joined Yamaha at the start of the current season to replace the underperforming Franco Morbidelli and has since done a formidable job on the M1, which still remains the second-slowest bike on the grid.

A race winner with both Suzuki and Honda, the Spaniard has so far bagged four points finishes in the eight grands prix so far, with his best results being a pair of 13th-place results at Portimao and Jerez.

Ironically, Rins agreed a new deal with Yamaha on the eve of the Assen race, where he suffered a big highside at Turn 1 that left him two small fractures in his right hand and one in his leg. 

He will be replaced at this weekend’s German Grand Prix by Remy Gardner, but is hoping to take advantage of the summer break that follows the Sachsenring event in order to make a full recovery in time for the British Grand Prix in early August.

The agreement with Rins marks the final piece in the puzzle for Yamaha, which has already signed a new multi-year contract with 2021 champion Quartararo and expanded its presence on next year’s grid by recruiting Pramac as its satellite team.



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Rins to miss Germany MotoGP round, Gardner set to be Yamaha’s replacement

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Yamaha’s Alex Rins is set to miss this weekend’s MotoGP German Grand Prix following a crash at Assen, with former Tech3 rider Remy Gardner set to replace him.

Six-time grand prix winner Rins was thrown from his M1 at the opening corner of last weekend’s Dutch GP and suffered two small fractures in his right hand and one in his left leg.

Rins flew to Madrid for further checks and underwent surgery on his right hand on Monday morning.

The Spaniard had already planned to have a pin removed from the right leg he badly broke last year at the Italian GP, but this was brought forward given the fact he was already having an operation on his hand.

The surgery is thought to have been a success.

Yamaha is yet to make an official announcement, but he will not race this weekend at the German GP and hopes to make a return at the British GP at the start of August.

While Yamaha is not obliged to field a replacement for Rins in Germany as 10 days since the Spaniard was injured has not elapsed, the Japanese marque is set to field a stand-in.

Remy Gardner, KTM Tech3

Remy Gardner, KTM Tech3

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Gardner, who raced for one season in MotoGP in 2022 with Tech3 KTM before being axed, races for Yamaha in World Superbikes.

The Australian – son of 1987 500cc world champion Wayne Gardner – won the 2021 Moto2 title but struggled on the KTM in MotoGP in 2022 and could only manage a best of 11th.

Yamaha has confirmed to Motorsport.com that Gardner is likely to replace Rins in Germany.

Test rider Cal Crutchlow could not be called up for the Sachsenring race as he is still recovering from a right-hand injury that stopped him from making a wildcard appearance at the Italian GP.

Crutchlow is still scheduled to race at the British GP in August and again in September’s San Marino GP at Misano.

The German GP is the last round before the three-week summer break.

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MotoGP stewards seem like they ‘have never raced bikes’

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Quartararo was unlucky to retire from Saturday’s sprint race at Mugello on lap two of 11 when Miguel Oliveira crashed his Trackhouse Aprilia in front of him at Turn 10 following a failed attempt to overtake the Frenchman, leaving the former with nowhere to go.

The 2021 champion went down with Oliveira into the right-hander and retired immediately, bringing a premature end to a Saturday in which he couldn’t convert his strong practice pace into a top 10 qualifying position.

Following his exit from the sprint, Quartararo went to the stewards to get their views on the incident, which was eventually dismissed as a racing incident, but returned feeling that MotoGP’s officials weren’t up to the task.

“I wanted to talk to them just to explain a little bit but I’m talking to [a] wall, to don’t say any word,” a frustrated Quartararo said.

“I go out more confused than when I come. But it’s not bad. You know it looks like I’m talking to someone that have never been racing, so this is sad and I think we have to get people more proficient.”

Quartararo explained that he didn’t want to persuade stewards to hand Oliveira a penalty, as he accepted the mistake made by the Portuguese rider. However, the 25-year-old hit out at what he feels are inconsistencies in stewarding and called for improvements in how on-track incidents are looked at going forward.

“I wanted to see the stewards not to get a penalty for Miguel, but just to realise that they are not doing a good job,” he said.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I’m not here to say he [Oliveira] have to make a long lap here [or] three-place grid penalty, but I have not seen any great move from them [stewards]. For me Miguel made a mistake, can happen, it happened to me, Aleix [Espargaro] didn’t crash and I get a long lap.

“But yes, for me the job they are doing is not great.”

Asked how the stewards responded, he revealed: “That [it] was a racing incident and when I did it, it was too optimistic overtake. So they play a little bit with the words.

“Like I said, I don’t want any penalty for Miguel. We just have to realise because if I’m playing for the championship and this happens to me and someone is not getting a penalty, it’s not the same.

“Right now it’s complicated, we have no data for the race, I was not scoring any points today anyway.

“But it’s just a question of improve how the system is working and we are not doing any step for that this weekend.”

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Quartararo can see light at end of tunnel after lack of Yamaha MotoGP progress

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Quartararo made that comment after jumping from 17th on the grid to finish ninth in Sunday’s Catalan Grand Prix, securing his second top-10 finish of the season.

The Frenchman was racing with a new aero package in Barcelona, part of the larger suite of upgrades that Yamaha has been testing between grand prix weekends in a bid to overhaul its troubled M1 challenger.

The 2021 champion has previously been vocal about how the Japanese manufacturer has not been able to bring any meaningful developments to its bike in recent years after falling down the pecking order.

But the 25-year-old says the progress he has now seen in recent months has finally given him hope that Yamaha can turn the ship around and close the gap to the frontrunners.

«When you are doing the small steps, you want to have a bigger one as soon as possible,” he said.

“But to be honest, this one and a half year, we have been without making any progress and to feel that we are seeing the light coming out of the tunnel, it’s great.

«So hopefully we can make some good steps pretty soon.»

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Asked how the updates introduced in Barcelona helped his cause, he explained: “For me, it helps to turn, to go a little bit faster into the corners. It’s difficult to say if it’s a massive step or not because the aero is not something that you say, ‘wow, it’s much better’.

“This aero, you have to get used [to it] and in the future, it will be a really good step, and we are looking to make another step like this one. So hopefully we can do it.”

Yamaha and Honda are able to take advantage of a new concession system in 2024, which rewards them with unlimited testing with race riders during the season, plus greatly expands their scope of upgrades.

Quartararo says the extra track time allows Yamaha to try new parts on the M1 but also get fully accustomed to them.

Further, he feels the Iwata-based marque is not only bringing upgrades for the sake of them, as only those bits and pieces are put on the bike that offer meaningful improvements.

“For me [with] the aerodynamics you get used much more when you make more laps,” he said.

“I learn [about] the aerodynamics even more during the [whole] weekend that I use because I can understand where the strong points of this aero are, and in five laps you cannot really understand [that]. This is the benefit of having the concessions.

“After Mugello, we go to Valencia [for] two days of test. It’s really busy but it’s really worth it because Yamaha has never worked like that in the past, has never had that much idea[s].

“And we are not bringing things to bring. We clearly speak with the team that I don’t want to test another chassis or another swingarm. We tested 100s of them already.

«We know where the problem is coming [from], so now they are really focussed on that and they are working in a clever way.“

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France «first race this year that I feel competitive» in MotoGP

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Quartararo enjoyed one of his stronger weekends on the weak Yamaha package in 2024 in front of his home crowd at Le Mans, qualifying eighth and fighting inside the top eight in the grand prix.

The 2021 world champion was running sixth when he crashed out at Turn 9 on lap 17 of 27 but walked away from it still content with what he was able to do on the M1 last Sunday.

«To be honest, I’m happy,» he said. «I’m happy because it’s the first race this year that I feel I’m competitive and I’m fighting with riders I used to fight with in the past, like Aleix [Espargaro].

«I was seeing Maverick [Vinales] and Marc [Marquez] in front of me. Ten laps to the end, I crashed.

«So, I feel happy and unfortunately, we crashed, but being in this position in P6 without many crashes in front of me was the first time.

«So, I gave it everything and I wanted the maximum. Unfortunately, we crashed but we gave it our 100%.»

Yamaha tried a new set-up on Quartararo’s bike that, he said, it expected to offer him a completely different feeling.

However, he felt the changes made the bike only a little better but enough to have a positive impact and perhaps become his base setting going forward.

«We made a massive change on the bike [in warm-up] that the team expected for me to say ‘it’s completely different’ or ‘bad’ or something – they expected me to feel a big difference, but I felt a small difference in a better way,» he explained.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«So we raced with this bike. For me, it looks like it’s going to be our new base.

«And after [Monday] we will have two days of testing in Mugello, so we will have also the chance to compare in totally different tracks.

«But today I think I was riding really, really well and hopefully we can carry on.»

On the benefits of the new set-up, Quartararo added: «Little bit of grip, especially going in but slightly. But clearly, we got the ideas of what to improve, but it’s going to take time.

«The electronic [setting] we are using, or how we are using it, is not in a good way.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Marc Fleury

«But we are learning step by step. You can see from Turn 5 to Turn 6 that our bike is always moving a lot compared to the guys who were in front.

«Our bike is super heavy, it’s not turning. But step by step we are trying to improve these things and I think we are going in a good way.»

Quartararo, who sits 12th in the standings on 25 points after five rounds, says battling at the sharp end again was a mental boost – more so than his shock sprint podium at Jerez (which was then stripped from him for a tyre pressure infringement) as his French GP performance was genuine pace.

«For me, mentally, it was good,» he noted. «This is why, of course, I’m frustrated to not finish the race, but for me to battle with Aleix, to see that at the end the podium guys were in front, then Marc [Marquez] pulled away.

«But I was able to see them not too far and my pace was not too bad, because in Jerez, yes, we made a good sprint but half of them crashed in front of me and I did a really good start.

«But today was the first race where really we were able to fight.

«This, mentally, is good and step by step we are improving. It’s going to be a long way but we will arrive.»

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Quartararo at a loss to explain Le Mans MotoGP Friday pace

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


For just the second time this season, Quartararo will make an appearance in the pole shootout qualifying session on Saturday after finishing Friday’s running at his home round in 10th.

While Yamaha brought a raft of changes to its bike for the Jerez test after the Spanish GP, only a few items – and not the swingarm he was hoping to run – have been brought to Le Mans.

But Quartararo – whose team-mate Alex Rins could only manage 14th — says this didn’t offer him many benefits on his run to a top 10 spot in practice on Friday.

«I don’t know,» the 2021 world champion said when asked how he managed that lap. «Pushing all we have, the window we have for the bike to be like that is really small.

«I think we made a great choice on the front tyre with the hard.

«And yeah, I was pushing absolutely to the limit. When I made the first time attack, I was already P8 I think.

«So, I had to push even more and I improved. It was on the limit, but more than being directly into Q2 is we are less than two tenths to third. So, this is positive.»

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Asked what improvements he could feel on the bike, he added: «Nothing. Unfortunately, nothing yet because we ride with the standard bike and we have to make a step, especially on the grip. But not only on traction but especially going in.»

A lack of rear grip has been a constant issue for the Yamaha this year and Quartararo says it’s important for the team to understand why the bike’s behaviour changes so radically with different levels of adhesion.

«The grip is our main issue because we clearly see from the medium tyre this morning it was a nightmare,» he added.

«Not for the bike, but for the tyres, and as soon as we have a little bit of grip our bike feels completely different.

«So, we have to understand why with more grip the bike completely changes because in the past you used to lose a little bit of performance but not as much as now.

«So, this is at the moment our main thing to improve, the grip and the bike to turn.»

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Yamaha’s turning woes led to arm pump for Quartararo in MotoGP Spanish GP

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The start to the 2024 campaign has so far proven difficult for Yamaha, though it still managed to snare 2021 world champion Quartararo to a new two-year deal beyond the end of this season.

At Jerez – a track Quartararo has won at twice in MotoGP – the Frenchman scored an unlikely third in the 12-lap sprint amidst a spate of crashes ahead of him, though was later penalised to fifth for having breached the minimum tyre pressure rule.

There were no such heroics in the grand prix, as Quartararo struggled from a career-worst 23rd on the grid to score a single point in 15th.

But his result was largely conditioned by the 2024 Yamaha’s weaknesses in turning, which led to him suffering from arm pump.

“From the beginning I made a good start but [in the sprint] was also the factor that I had a little bit of luck that everything was really good in front,” he said.

“I made a great start also [in the Grand prix], but I didn’t manage to gain positions.

“And we struggled from lap one with the rear grip, I struggled a lot to turn, I forced the bike a lot to turn on the brakes and for me, I had an issue with the arm.

“So, from mid-race to the end I had to slow down.

“When you are riding really tense, tight on the bike I was not great. So, the last 10 laps I was just cruising because the arm was not right.”

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Quartararo lost the 2021 Spanish GP to Jack Miller as an arm pump issue dropped him rapidly down the order. He later had this operated on.

Asked if was surprised to have suffered the issue again, Quartararo said no as the bike has caused it – albeit more mildly – at other races this season.

“No, was not a surprise,” he added.

“I mean, it happens many times this year but it was never really a limit.

“But when you feel good on the bike you don’t have it, and when you feel not alright you have it.

“Some races I had it, but not that much and not that early.

“But it’s part of our challenge, also today [Sunday] we tested the bike a little bit this morning which we thought was better. But it was a bit worse. This is what happened.”

Quartararo also noted that, with the Yamaha’s current problems with turning and rear grip, Jerez is a circuit that exacerbates the bike’s flaws.

“It’s always the matter [of improving the bike],” he said when asked if there was anything he could do about the arm pump.

“When you feel good, everything is perfect. When you are riding like you are forcing the bike a lot, like this is one of the tracks that is right now one of the worst for us because the turning is the weak point [along] with the grip, and on this track you need both.

“So, I expect Le Mans to be better because it’s more about braking and I will feel better on that track.”

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Quartararo felt «massive change» on new Yamaha M1’s first MotoGP test

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In its bid to arrest a steady decline in performance over the last few years, Yamaha had been working behind the scenes on an all-new version of its MotoGP contender, which was finally ready for its first test after Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Both 2021 champion Quartararo and new recruit Alex Rins got to put the new M1 through its paces at the Jerez test, finishing 18th and 14th respectively after clocking 157 laps between them.
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While the Frenchman wanted to reserve his full verdict until Yamaha had gotten a chance to properly analyse the data, he was clear that the changes the Japanese manufacturer has made had a big impact on the way the M1 feels on track.

“It’s the first time when we test something new it’s not slightly different. The new chassis we tried is really different,” he said.

“In the past, we used to test something different but [the changes were only] a little and now it was a massive change for me to feel what is on the bike. 

“It was a first step for us to see where the right way is, but we now have to make another test to see clearly and to have some ideas [on] what we do on the bike.”

He added: “[With the chassis], we are looking for turning [cornering] and we are trying to find it. 

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I found a slight improvement going in but not really on the turning, it’s really a small step.

“I have a little bit more feedback from the front, that is something that I was missing. But it’s not massive. This was a little bit better but we are missing a lot.”

Yamaha has completely overhauled the M1 after successfully persuading Quartararo to sign a fresh two-year deal, with the changes to the bike covering a wide variety of areas including chassis, aerodynamics and electronics.

Only the engine has not been changed so far, with Yamaha electing to continue with its test unit — which is built to the same specification as the race motor.

“We tested many, many things, we tested new chassis, new aero, new swingarm, new electronics especially,” he revealed. “The engine is a test engine, so it’s the same as [the race unit].

“It was difficult to take conclusions right now. Of course, now we will have to analyse well. Some positives, some things that are not working, unfortunately.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“But we will have more tests in Mugello after Le Mans, so these are things that we can modify and see what we can improve.”

Quartararo expects Yamaha to run some new parts in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans next month, as it continues to evaluate the package it debuted in the Jerez test.

“We will use a few items that we tested today because it’s always better to test in different tracks, and for Le Mans, we will use a few things that are not bad,» he said.

“It will be interesting to see in three different tracks what is my feeling, especially because Le Mans and Mugello are very different from here.”

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