Having scored the 2021 Moto2 World Championship in a season where he won five races and gathered 12 podiums, excitement was high that Remy Gardner could achieve some great things in his rookie MotoGP campaign. Unfortunately, it didn’t all go his way…
Bringing in so much positive momentum and with him trending in a distinctly upward trajectory, unfortunately things didn’t go to plan for the gifted Australian, as problems with the bike and his team, plus some niggling injuries, scuppered his chances of truly putting his best foot forward.
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Although his debut term in the premier class was littered with adversity, the Tech3 KTM speedster still showed glimpses of his class on many occasions and that he had what it takes to compete at the elite level. Even though he couldn’t secure a coveted top ten finish, he still claimed an admirable four points scoring finishes in the crusade on his way to regularly outperforming his highly rated teammate, Raul Fernandez, who also endured his fair share of frustration last year.
With a season’s best of eleventh at Catalunya, this demonstrated he could mix it with the heavy hitters on his day and on a track that suited the bike. But these days were few and far between, in a season where he frequently toiled fruitlessly on his way to finishing 23rd in the final standings.
The saddening news then arose that KTM weren’t going to keep him on for 2023, which came as a devastating blow to Gardner, who forcefully expressed his opinion on the decision. “I felt like I always gave my 100 per cent for them [KTM]. My intention was to stay here and give my best and honestly, they’ve broken my heart,” Gardner explained.
“I felt like maybe there’s not an appreciation for the [Moto2] World Championship I brought them as well. I was just giving my best all the time and I guess it wasn’t good enough. The feeling was and the impression was, yeah, we should continue and in Austria we’ll get it done… I don’t know, I’m just as confused [by it].
“I think it hasn’t been a disaster. I mean, if you have a look at the times and everything and how close I am to the factory guys usually. It’s still my first year! I honestly think it was not bad and honestly it was positive vibes from them [KTM]. But yeah, we got to Austria and it’s basically ‘you’re out’. Wasn’t expecting it to be honest. I’ve always given 100% and unfortunately I don’t think it was good enough [how they handled the situation].”
Despite him feeling like he was harshly and unfairly treated, there was no denying what a fantastic learning experience racing a full crusade of MotoGP was for him even if he went through a tough adaptation to the category.
Indeed, gaining such valuable track time against the best riders in the world and extracting so much knowledge in terms of riding style, line selection, bike setup, race strategy, preparation and so much more should crucially hold him in good stead for his future endeavours.
Left without a MotoGP ride, the 24-year-old will now turn his attention to 2023, where he’ll be switching to the World Superbike paddock to race for GYTR GRT Yamaha. Excited for the challenge ahead and having already tested the bike, which he said he enjoyed, it’ll be fascinating seeing how he fares in what’s set to be a stacked class this year.
Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager, gave Remy a warm welcome to the team, stating: “Remy is an exciting young talent, who boasts an impressive career inside the Grand Prix paddock. We are obviously delighted to have a rider on board who’s not only shown great progression but has experience at the top level of motorcycle racing. We believe that he is the perfect fit for Yamaha’s WorldSBK program and are keen to see what he can do on one of our Yamaha YZF-R1 WorldSBK machines.”
To shine the spotlight on his recent test at Jerez last week, and much upside could be extracted from this hit out even though he was nearly two seconds off pace-setter Toprak Razgatlioglu, as Gardner rattled off 86 laps in the first day alone around the Spanish circuit to bank the 14th best time. Gardner then impressively made headway on day two, for his fastest lap was over a second quicker than the previous day and saw him secure the 10th quickest time, which was roughly one second off Toprak.
Giving him a fantastic chance to log some laps in the dry, after his first test was scuppered by rain in December, while he familiarised himself with the bike, the tyres and the team, the number 87 cut a content figure afterwards.
“Yeah it was fun!” Said Gardner “Very different to what I’m used to. New tyres, which I think is the biggest thing at the moment and just understanding how much confidence the front tyre gives and how much support as well. Did lots of laps, but it was just good to understand what I need to adapt and change. I have some bad habits from last year that I’m trying to kick. Just [need to] ride easier and more fluid. Last year I had to ride like an animal every single lap and every single corner to go half-fast.
Possessing all the ingredients to be a success, in the case of Gardner, KTM’s loss is certainly Yamaha’s gain..
“After a year of that and also the tyres are very different as well. I’ve got to let it flow a bit more. At the moment, that’s just what we wanted to do. I enjoyed myself a lot and, at the end of the day, I felt a bit more comfortable.”
Set to continue using the number 87, which is a tribute to his father Wayne’s memorable 1987 500cc World Championship, 2023 looms as a massive year for Gardner, as he looks to get things back on track after a forgettable 2022. Full of talent, extremely motivated for the challenge ahead, in the prime of his career and possessing all the ingredients to be a success, in the case of Gardner, KTM’s loss is certainly Yamaha’s gain.
