Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) had a challenging first raceday at the Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’ on Saturday, 13 July, after being unable to set a lap time in the Superpole Qualifying session.
At the seventh round of the 2026 WorldSBK Championship, Superpole Qualifying was a pivotal moment for Garrett Gerloff and his Kawasaki WorldSBK Team. In his eagerness to set a fast early qualifying pace at his team’s home round, Gerloff fell on his out lap, without injury.
With his bike too badly damaged to repair before the end of the Superpole session, Garrett had to start Race One from the back of the grid.
The Texan rider pushed as much as he could on his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR and would move forward through the 21-lap race to finish in 14th position, scoring two championship points for his efforts.
There will be two more opportunities for Garrett to post strong race results on Sunday, 14 June. The now traditional ten-lap Superpole Race and a final 21-lap Race Two will complete the WorldSBK action at Misano, in what are expected to be hot ambient temperatures once again.
Manuel Puccetti
“Garrett’s unfortunate crash in this morning’s Superpole conditioned his Race 1 result. Starting from last place on the grid, and with his second bike no less, because his first bike was badly damaged in the crash, Gerloff spent almost half the race trying to understand the bike in its new configuration. Once he got his head around that, he upped his pace and was able to reach the points zone. I don’t think he could have done more today honestly. The feeling ahead of the next two races is quite good and we are confident we can have a positive Sunday.”
Garrett Gerloff
“The team and I are really trying, but it was not a very easy day. I lost the front in Superpole qualifying trying to push for a fast lap – but I hadn’t actually finished a lap – so I did not set a time. After the crash, the bike was not in the best shape, so I could not go out again and had to start from last position. It was a difficult race and it was a hot one. I struggled to move forward as much as I wanted to. I was able to finish in the points at the end, but I feel really bad for the whole team. I really wanted this weekend to be a good one as it is a home race for them. I hope that tomorrow we can find something and be a bit more competitive, as the team deserves more. I will keep trying.”
