“Hard to stay positive” for Garrett Gerloff in early races of Kawasaki WorldSBK adaptation

Garrett Gerloff has admitted that it has been “hard to stay positive” in his first races as a Kawasaki rider in WorldSBK, with results difficult to come by.

The American, who recently confirmed an extension of his time at the Kawasaki WorldSBK Team into 2026, has been in the top-10 on only two occasions in the opening six rounds of the season, those coming in Race 2 at both Most and Misano.

As the only Kawasaki rider on the World Superbike grid this year, Gerloff has been able to rely only on comparisons versus last year’s factory Kawasaki riders, Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani, to judge his own performance this year.

Despite being able to match the times of Lowes on occasions this year, Gerloff has been frustrated at what that kind of pace means in terms of results in 2025.

“It’s been difficult just based on the results we’ve had, but this season all the teams have taken such a step up so far this season that I feel like if I had been tossed in last year, that things would look very different,” Garrett Gerloff told WorldSBK.com.

“I think things would look a lot better, but that’s just how the game is now; everyone advances so much year after year, especially with how the midfield riders have taken a step.

“Of course, the guys at the front have taken a significant step, but there are more players in the middle of the field now that make achieving results even more challenging.

“There have been a couple of times this year where I’ve done similar or better lap times than Alex [Lowes] last year, for example, but I’m still outside the top-10. That makes it tough because I’ll see that and think, ‘Ok, I’m not doing too bad’, but then my position is still nowhere close to where I want it to be and where we need it to be.

“It makes it hard to stay positive, but it’s just about trying to keep things in perspective.

“The bike is good, no complaints about the bike, and I feel like I’m riding some of the best I’ve ridden so far in this championship, but everyone has taken that step forward that has made it tough.”

Gerloff, though, does feel like he is making progress in his adaptation to the Kawasaki, and in getting the ZX-10RR to work for him. But, even with top-10 results coming in both Most and Misano, the American is realistic about the work that still needs to be done.

“The bike is constantly clicking a bit more with me, and I’m constantly figuring out things I can do differently and things I can improve to get more out of the bike,” he said.

“I’m always trying to keep things in perspective, and I probably wouldn’t have gotten a top-10 if it wasn’t for some crashes in front of me at Misano.

“I’m still far behind where I want to be.

“In Race 2, I finished eighth, but Johnny [Jonathan Rea] and Alex [Lowes] crashed, so I would have been at least 10th.

“In any case, I was 12 seconds behind 7th place. I still have a ways to go, I’m trying to work on riding the best I can and getting the most out of the bike.”

As a result, with Donington next up on the schedule, Gerloff is targeting what could be described as a top-10 on merit.

“I’m excited for Donington, I had fun there the last few years with the new asphalt,” Gerloff said.

“I think it can be a good weekend. I know the bike has done well there in the past. At the same time, the entire field has taken a big step forward, so it’s hard to know.

“I’d love to be in the top-10 again, and doing it in a legit way, without anyone crashing in front of me. Ideally, P7 or P8 with no crashes in front of me to feel like we’re really making big steps forward.”