WorldSBK-bound Remy Gardner was reluctant to return to Moto2 because he had “nothing really left to do there”.
Gardner won the Moto2 world championship in 2021, his fifth full season in the intermediate class, having already landed a promotion to KTM’s MotoGP satellite team for this year.
However, his contract with the Austrian marque was not renewed in what has become a messy divorce between the two parties, with conflicting versions of events given to media.
It is the latter of which that he has now landed in, riding a Yamaha at satellite team GRT from 2023.
“I’m looking forward to the new project for next year,” said Gardner ahead of this weekend’s Aragon MotoGP round.
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“It’s going to definitely be a big change for me, a lot of things to learn – new tyres and different class, different bikes – but having seen the races the last few months, it does look pretty fun.
“I’ve done five years in Moto2, managed to be champion. For me, there was nothing really left to do there.
“I kind of wanted a new challenge and just something different to be honest.
“They [Superbikes] look really fun to ride – there’s a lot more passing going on than, I think, in MotoGP – so yeah, honestly looks pretty awesome.”
Yamaha won the championship last year courtesy of Toprak Razgatlioglu, who remains at the works team along with Andrea Locatelli in 2023.
Razgatlioglu won the most recent race of the season, at France’s Magny-Cours, after one key rival in Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea took out another in Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista in a late battle for second place.
Rea copped a long lap penalty while Ducati “expect[s]” further sanction against the Kawasaki rider.
Regardless, Gardner is keen to get involved in such battles next year, saying, “Yeah, definitely.
“I always like a good scrap, which is fun.
“I’m not complaining; I can get my elbows out.”
Practice at Aragon starts this evening (AEST).
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