Remy Gardner on the MotoGP track this weekend
With Álex Rins sidelined through injury following his crash at Assen last weekend, 26-year-old Remy Gardner has been chosen to replace the Spaniard in the Monster Energy Yamaha team this weekend at the Sachsenring.
Álex Rins has undergone successful surgery on his right wrist and ankle. With the support of his team, he has decided to focus on a full recovery in time for the British GP following the MotoGP summer break.
Normally, Yamaha MotoGP test rider Cal Crutchlow would have been chosen to replace Rins, but the Briton has been sidelined following recent hand surgery, so Remy has been called up.
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“First of all, let me start by saying that the whole team is relieved that Álex’s surgery went well and that the injury he suffered above him was not more serious. We all wish him a speedy recovery and hope to welcome him back soon.
“Secondly, we are grateful to Remy Gardner and the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team for being able to join us at Sachsenring at such short notice. We are sure it will be an exciting experience for him, but the team will do everything they can to make him feel welcome and supported during this difficult learning curve this weekend.
“The Sachsenring is quite special: it is narrow and there are a lot of left-hand drivers. It is very difficult to overtake there, so a position in Q2 is even more valuable than usual. We expect it to be very difficult, but we intend to do everything we can to collect as much data as possible before the summer break.“ .
Gardner raced in MotoGP with KTM in the 2022 season after winning the Moto2 World Championship with the manufacturer in 2021. KTM decided not to renew Remy’s contract for 2023, which saw the Australian switch to World Superbike with Yamaha; he went on to finish ninth in the 2023 WorldSBK Championship and is currently seventh after the first four rounds of 2024.
Remy Gardner
“First of all, I hope Álex has a speedy recovery and I wish him all the best. I’m really excited about this challenge. I just want to say ‘Thank you very much’ to Yamaha for trusting me to race this weekend. I’ll take it as a great learning experience. It’s a new bike, and it’s always a great experience to come back to MotoGP for a race, so I’m really looking forward to enjoying this weekend and I’m very excited for this opportunity. Once again, a big ‘Thank you’ to Yamaha“ .
The Sachsenring has its own unique characteristics: winding, with steep elevation changes and mostly left-hand turns. It’s not for everyone, but Fabio Quartararo has thrived on it. A stunning win in 2022 (despite feeling unwell at the time) and a third place in 2021 in Germany have underlined that Quartararo certainly knows his way around this tight circuit.
Fabio Quartararo
“The Dutch GP was very difficult. I expect the race to be a little better, especially at the start. Hopefully we can find some positives in the data and improve for next week. Overall I don’t think the Sachsenring is a good track for us, especially the second and third sectors will be tricky, but we have to take the positives and try to collect some data to continue to improve. I wish Álex a speedy recovery. I hope to see him back on the track soon“ .
The Chemnitz area is famous for its love of car and motorcycle racing. Races in the area were originally held on closed public roads from the 1920s onwards. The Sachsenring was built in 1996 for safety reasons, and two years later it hosted its first MotoGP event. The 12m wide track has many tight corners (ten lefts, three right), making it one of the slowest on the schedule, but there will still be plenty of action at the German GP.
