GRT GYTR Yamaha WorldSBK yesterday (24 March 2022) launched their 2022 WorldSBK team, with Garrett Gerloff and Kohta Nozane remaining with the team.
One change for GRT in 2022 is that they will have a title sponsor, coming in the form of GYTR (Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing). That should ease the minds of anybody questioning the commitment of Yamaha to the team.
GRT were the Independent Teams’ Champions of WorldSBK in 2021, even despite Garrett Gerloff’s early season crashes, and his confidence and speed struggles after the incident with Toprak Razgatlioglu in Assen.
Last season, Gerloff - who finished seventh in the final championship standings - proved he has the potential to challenge for podiums and race wins, but he also proved he has some rough edges to round off.
Nozane, on the other hand, showed flashes of good speed at times on his way to finishing 14th in the 2021 championship, but will be looking to find that speed on a more consistent basis in 2022.
For 2022, GRT’s paint has been adjusted with their new sponsor Outdo bringing some white to the fairing, while the black accents around the edges of the front fairing are intended to echo Yamaha’s production paint schemes. The new livery for the team will be seen on track for the first time at the next WorldSBK preseason test in Barcelona which begins today, 25 March 2022.
In a Yamaha press release, Garrett Gerloff said, “The colour scheme and the graphics are incredible, they’ve outdone themselves. I’m very excited to ride the new GRT GYTR Yamaha WorldSBK Team R1 on track here in Barcelona. We’re still going through our pre-season campaign in preparation for the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship, and test after test we’re gaining confidence to be ready for the first round in Aragòn.”
Gerloff’s teammate, Kohta Nozane, said, “We’re finally underway with the new GRT GYTR Yamaha WorldSBK Team and it couldn’t be much better than this. We’re getting ready for the beginning of the 2022 WorldSBK season and I want to prove what I’m capable of after my rookie campaign.”
GRT GYTR Yamaha WorldSBK Team Manager, Filippo Conti, added, “Having GYTR is an important step for our growth and we’re sure it will help us to make another step forwards to reach our goals.” Conti continued, “Now we’ll keep working on track during the test days to be ready for the 2022 WorldSBK season.”
In-text images courtesy of GRT Racing Team.
