Remy concludes #JapaneseGP wildcard weekend with 17th in Motegi

The weather at the Mobility Resort Motegi threw a curveball at the MotoGP paddock on the final day of the Grand Prix of Japan event. What started as a sunny Sunday turned into mixed conditions in the afternoon and ended in sunshine again. It made the situation uncertain for the Yamaha Factory Racing Test Team as they decided on the set-up for the MotoGP Race. Nevertheless, Remy Gardner adapted well to what was ultimately a dry 24-lap contest and held 17th place across the finish line.

Sudden rain on the Race Day of the Grand Prix of Japan added to the tension on the premier class starting grid. Rain had fallen during the Moto2 Race, making track conditions uncertain for the MotoGP Race that followed an hour later. However, the Yamaha Factory Racing Test Team’s plans of testing prototype items for a full race distance proceeded. Wild-card entry Remy finished 17th in the 24-lap contest.

Starting from P23, Remy immediately overtook Lorenzo Savadori and gained two more positions on the opening lap due to Alex Marquez and Joan Mir colliding. Further crashes by Pedro Acosta, Augusto Fernandez, and Maverick Vinales, saw the Aussie climb as high as 17th place, though it was mainly a lonely ride. Remy used the 24 laps to focus on collecting useful data for the Iwata headquarters of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and took the chequered flag in 17th place, 59.547s from first.

The Yamaha Factory Racing Test Team benefitted from riding a full race length in dry conditions. Yamaha engineers will carefully go over all the collected data from this weekend with the purpose to boost bike development for 2025.

REMY GARDNER
Yamaha Factory Racing Test Team Rider

“It was a tough weekend. We tested a few new things, which was good. But I did expect a bit more from this Race. I struggled a lot with the medium rear tyre, which we only tried in the Race. We should have probably gone with the soft because I felt really good on that tyre in Warm Up. But we did finish the full Race distance, gathering good data, and that’s the main thing. I want to thank Yamaha for this wild-card entry. I’m now off to Estoril, where I race next week. I look forward to being back on the superbike.”