Gardner Concludes Wild-Card Weekend with 17th in Motegi Race

The weather at the Mobility Resort Motegi threw a curveball at the MotoGP paddock on the final day of the Grand Prix of Japan event. What started as a sunny Sunday turned into mixed conditions in the afternoon and ended in sunshine again. It made the situation uncertain for the Yamaha Factory Racing Test Team as they decided on the set-up for the MotoGP Race. Nevertheless, Remy Gardner adapted well to what was ultimately a dry 24-lap contest and held 17th place across the finish line.

Sudden rain on the Race Day of the Grand Prix of Japan added to the tension on the premier class starting grid. Rain had fallen during the Moto2 Race, making track conditions uncertain for the MotoGP Race that followed an hour later. However, the Yamaha Factory Racing Test Team's plans of testing prototype items for a full race distance proceeded. Wild-card entry Remy Gardner finished 17th in the 24-lap contest.

Starting from P23, Gardner immediately overtook Lorenzo Savadori and gained two more positions on the opening lap due to Alex Marquez and Joan Mir colliding. Further crashes by Pedro Acosta, Augusto Fernandez, and Maverick Vinales, saw the Aussie climb as high as 17th place, though it was mainly a lonely ride. Gardner used the 24 laps to focus on collecting useful data for the Iwata headquarters of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and took the chequered flag in 17th place, 59.547s from first.

The Yamaha Factory Racing Test Team benefitted from riding a full race length in dry conditions. Yamaha engineers will carefully go over all the collected data from this weekend with the purpose to boost bike development for 2025.