Remy Gardner on track limits penalty: ‘I don’t think that’s right’

Remy Gardner says his track limits penalty in race 2 of the Catalunya WorldSBK round was unfair.

Remy Gardner, Catalunya WorldSBK Race1, 23 March
Remy Gardner, Catalunya WorldSBK Race1, 23 March

Remy Gardner crossed the line in sixth place behind Danilo Petrucci, but ahead of Alex Lowes.

However, the GRT Yamaha rider was relegated to seventh after receiving a penalty after the race. 

Gardner, who was the top Yamaha rider ahead of Jonathan Rea, showed impressive speed throughout the weekend.

However, the Australian was unable to capitalise in race 1 as he finished 15th. And improved result of ninth following the chaotic Superpole Race before taking seventh in Race 2.

Speaking after the second race on Sunday, Gardner said: “The day was okay, I think we made the correct choices. The pace overall was good and in the sprint race everyone was close and I managed to finish ninth which allowed me to start again from the second row in Race 2.

“Then, I had a good getaway gaining places, ending up fighting for the top five; in the last lap I tried everything I could and crossed the line in 6th before being demoted to seventh due to track limits.

“I don’t think that’s right, even after checking, but it is what it is.

“We came back home scoring valuable points and being aware that we could enjoy a strong weekend in Assen.

“I’d like to thank the team for the great job done and the support, see you in the Netherlands.”

After a slow start to Race 2, Gardner’s team-mate Dominique Aegerter turned up the pace and was one of the fastest riders on circuit in the closing stages.

Aegerter finished P9 but admitted he was hoping for more: “It was a decent day, but not as good as we expected.

“In the sprint race we were all close but I lost ninth place after a good battle against my teammate, so we had to start from 11th.

“Then, the Race 2 start was complicated, I had contact and dropped places, so I had to make my way through the field. I felt I had good pace to fight more in the front, but in the end I was able to recover to ninth and score good points, which is not bad at all.

“Now let’s look forward to the next round, confident that we can enjoy a strong weekend in the Netherlands.”

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