Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) went from 11th place in Superpole qualifying to eighth place in the opening race at Donington Park, moving up four places over the 23 lap race.
In the morning Superpole qualifying session, Gerloff was agonisingly close to a second-row starting place, thanks to a best lap time that was almost good enough for a top-six pace.
His 1’25.468 Superpole lap placed him 11th on the starting grid for Race One, meaning he had to launch from the fourth row.
American rider Gerloff was in 12th place after lap one but moved through the field to tenth on lap six, and then his ultimate finishing position of eighth on lap nine.
Now Garrett and his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR machine will take part in a short warm-up session, a ten-lap Superpole Race, and then a final 23-lap Race Two, all on Sunday 12 July.
Manuel Puccetti – Team Principal
“I’m pleased with Garrett Gerloff’s eighth place finish in Race 1 today. Our rider ran a strong race, recovering well and showing both the pace and potential to leave us feeling optimistic ahead of Sunday’s races.”
Garrett Gerloff
“All-in-all, I am pretty happy with today. I wish we could have been a little bit better in qualifying – but I was only two tenths from fifth place and I qualified 11th. It is so competitive right now in the midfield. I was happy with the race though, I felt good and pretty consistent and I am happy to give the guys in the team a top ten finish. And it is nice to be close to the bimotas, as that is the only reference I have. Maybe we will make some set-up changes for Sunday and then we will go again.”
