Interview – Insightful extended chat with Remy Gardner at P.I. just before FP2 on Friday

2 months ago 25

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Round One – Phillip Island

Remy Gardner Interview

The conversation took place inside the Yamaha hospitality unit on Friday afternoon, the mood calm but purposeful as the paddock ticked toward the second Free Practice session. Mechanics moved in and out with laptops and tyre sheets, coffee cups sat half-finished on the tables, and outside, the Island breeze carried the familiar salt air across the pit lane.

Remy Gardner had already laid down a 1m30.554 in FP1, a solid reference lap just three months after surgery to repair a broken humerus and dislocated shoulder. As track temperatures climbed and grip levels fluctuated in FP2, he would ultimately fail to improve on that morning benchmark.

Still in team kit, relaxed but clearly with a job to do, Gardner spoke candidly before heading back across to the garage to begin preparations for the afternoon session. What followed was a detailed and unfiltered assessment of his recovery and his broader reflections on MotoGP, WorldSBK and Phillip Island’s place on the world stage.

Injury Recovery – Physical, Technical & Mental Reset

Trevor Hedge: Can you walk us through the injury itself — what exactly was damaged, what was done surgically, and where you’re at now in terms of strength and mobility?

Remy Gardner: “I broke my humerus and, like Marc, had a dislocated shoulder as well. Had one surgery to get the shoulder put back in; they couldn’t pull the arm because it was broken, and two days later, they put a rod through the centre of the humerus. It was a big one, two operations, and it was tight even making it to here, but I thought I’d make it, so we’re here, which is good – and still fairly fast.”

Trev: Have you had that metal work out?

Gardner: “No, it’s only been three months, on Monday. Maybe the end of the year, if it’s still annoying, if not, I’ll leave it in there. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Trev: What does a typical week look like right now for Remy Gardner, from where you are, physically, looking to the racing ahead?

Gardner: “Until I left, it was every day that I could was off to the physio and work a lot with the rubber bands to get strength back in the shoulder, but there’s nothing like riding a motorbike. So yeah, when I started to feel a little bit better, it was three times a week on the bike, trying to get that strength back up, and a few days of rest, when the pain was getting too much. It was 100 per cent focused on getting to the first race.”

Trev: From a rider’s perspective, what’s the hardest part of coming back?

Gardner: “At the moment it’s just this arm and shoulder, but I don’t really find it too hard to be honest, I get back into the groove pretty fast usually.”

Trev: Mentally, does time off sharpen the hunger or create doubt? Where have you landed personally?

Gardner: “I never get doubt, honestly. I still know how to ride the bike fast. When I got on the bike for the first time in Jerez, it felt like it was back in October, to be honest. I can see things, wanted to do things, felt my bike, but the body wasn’t responding at that point. Mentally, I was fine, but my body wasn’t there. That was a month ago.”

2026 WorldSBK – Objectives & Technical Direction

Trev: Looking ahead to 2026, what are the clear KPIs for you — podiums, wins, championship contention?

Gardner: “Hopefully, if we can rack up any more podiums, it would be really nice, just trying to keep that consistency better and more top fives – more towards the pointy end – when we can.”

Trev: Do you feel you now have the continuity — bike, crew, environment — to properly build toward a title campaign?

Gardner: “For sure, I know the bike now. I’ve ridden it for a few years now, so it’s all there. I think last year we were pretty much there; we just had a bit of bad luck with injuries. If we can keep injury-free this year, I think we’ll be strong.”

Trev: What areas of the current package do you still feel need refinement for you to fight consistently at the front, to give you that next little bit?

Gardner: “It changes for sure, track to track, from here we’re missing rear grip. We’re a little bit confused at the moment, one tyre works, next one doesn’t, so I’m not sure what’s going on at the moment here. But in general.”

Trev: It looked pretty loose this morning for everyone, it seems a problem across the board. Ducati seem to have some kind of magic potion that lets them put power down, but even they were wagging their tails quite a lot.

Gardner: “Exactly, hopefully we can find some of that magic potion.”

Trev: Where do you see the biggest performance delta in WorldSBK right now — electronics, chassis balance, tyre exploitation, or rider execution? What’s the most important thing for anyone in this paddock?

Gardner: “Definitely tyre management, even front tyre, to not stress and overload them too much, but enough to get the grip from the tyre. Here is a bit of a weird one, but definitely at the European tracks, where we have the softer tyres, it’s to not stress the front tyre. We had a few problems overstressing the front tyre, and it would be done after 10 laps. Managing that, the speed, the lap time, finding the best compromise, let’s say.”

Trev: You’ve had a Moto2 Championship win, lots of starts in MotoGP. World Superbike electronics rules are somewhat freer. Could you give us a ‘dumb man’s guide’ on the difference between MotoGP and WorldSBK on this front? Yamaha uses Marelli like everyone here in WorldSBK, except BMW with Bosch, give us a short guide comparing the MotoGP electronics with the WorldSBK gubbins.

Gardner: “So the actual ECU is exactly the same as what we were running in KTM at that time. There is a big difference in how much control we run; it’s less here, because obviously, we don’t have the power a GP bike has. A GP bike without controls would be pretty sketchy. They run a lot more clamp on the power, traction, and wheelie. Here, we’re a bit looser. But that doesn’t matter, we still run lots of traction control, but let’s say, the tyre helps that as well, you’re able to ride with less controls in Superbike.”

Trev: Something so important these days seems to be engine brake control. Do you spend a lot of time developing that? Is that something you explore over a race weekend a lot?

Gardner: “Definitely, we’ve improved that over the last few years, when I first joined, the engine brake was just not great, and we did improve, and we worked on that a lot, we actually tried, we were supposed to try in testing, but it was all rained out, first time I tried it was on Monday, this new strategy, and it’s the best it has ever been. Corner by corner, gear by gear, we sit usually after each session and go through each corner, and look at squiggly lines and point out where we need to work.”

Trev: Phillip Island has always been a special circuit for you and your family. What does that place mean personally and professionally?

Gardner: “It’s an amazing track, look at the venue, it’s incredible, go down the straight, you’re looking at the sea. The corners are amazing, it’s an amazing place, I always love coming here, enjoy surfing, and just for that, the nice, relaxed life down here. I love the place.”

Trev: With MotoGP leaving Phillip Island for a street circuit in Adelaide, what’s your genuine reaction as a rider?

Gardner: “It’s sad that they lose Phillip Island, it’s such a historic track, some of the best races have happened here. I think if you ask anyone in the paddock, it’s their favourite race. In that sense, it’s a bit sad to be honest, but I’m interested to see what they can come up with in Adelaide. I haven’t even seen the track to be honest, but it’s interesting, that’s for sure.”

Trev: How do you reflect on your MotoGP chapter now — an education step, unfinished business, or something else?

Gardner: “I didn’t forget how to ride a bike from one year to the next, so let’s just say, with a real shot, it would have been a different story.”

Trev: Will that door open again?

Gardner: “Probably not. I’ve made my peace with that; that’s fine. I am enjoying myself on superbikes. I just want to be back to winning ways, I don’t care where it is.”

Trev: You’ve experienced different paddocks and cultures. Which environment suits you best and why?

Gardner: “Definitely World Superbikes, the bikes are more fun to ride, the paddock is super chill, the fans can come in and be close to the riders as well, you don’t get that with MotoGP.”

Trev: Where do you gain most lap time compared to your fellow Yamaha riders — braking entry, mid-corner speed, or exit drive, an area on the data where you perhaps have a little edge, and perhaps another where it’s a point where the others are perhaps doing something better?

Gardner: “For sure, usually I’m pretty good on the throttle, always have been, and brakes sometimes, depends on the track, and how I’m feeling, usually I’m not too bad as well. Maybe corner speed sometimes, compared to some of the other guys, who need to improve. Definitely, I have improved that over the years as well, but you can always get better. There’s always stuff to learn. It’s constant learning, there’s always a rider who can show you something.”

Trev: What advice would you give a young Australian rider targeting Europe today?

Gardner: “Just hang in there, it’s a long journey, hang in there, if you really believe it, keep pushing and fight for it.”

Trev: If everything clicks in 2026, what does success look like by season’s end?

Gardner: “I’d say, probably top six in the championship, that would be a really successful year, top five or top six, that would be great.”

2026 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship calendar


……Date…….	Country	Circuit	WorldSBK	WorldSSP	WorldSPB
20-22 Feb	AUS	Phillip Island GP	X	X
27-29 Mar	POR	Algarve Int’l	X	X	X
17-19 Apr	NED	TT Assen	X	X	X
1-3 May	HUN	Balaton Park	X	X
15-17 May	CZE	Most	X	X	X
29-31 May	ESP	MotorLand Aragon	X	X	X
12-14 Jun	ITA	Misano – Marco Simoncelli	X	X	X
10-12 Jul	UK	Donington Park	X	X
4-6 Sep	FRA	Nevers Magny-Cours	X	X	X
25-27 Sep	ITA	Cremona	X	X	X
9-11 Oct	POR	Estoril	X	X
16-18 Oct	ESP	Jerez – Angel Nieto*	X	X	X

2026 World Superbike Championship Entry List


Rider	Bike	Team
I.Lecuona	Duc	Aruba.It Ducati
N.Bulega	Duc	Aruba.It Ducati
D.Petrucci	BMW	ROKiT BMW Motorrad
M.Oliveira	BMW	ROKiT BMW Motorrad
A.Locatelli	Yam	Pata Maxus Yamaha
X.Vierge	Yam	Pata Maxus Yamaha
Y.Montella	Duc	Barni Spark
A.Bautista	Duc	Barni Spark
A.Lowes	Bim	bimota by Kawasaki
A.Bassani	Bim	bimota by Kawasaki
S.Chantra	Hon	Honda HRC
J.Dixon	Hon	Honda HRC
S.Manzi	Yam	GYTR GRT Yamaha
R.Gardner	Yam	GYTR GRT Yamaha
S.Lowes	Duc	ELF Marc VDS
L.Baldassarri	Duc	Goeleven
T.Mackenzie	Duc	MGM Racing
G.Gerloff	Kaw	Kawasaki WorldSBK
A.Surra	Duc	Motocorsa
M.Rato	Yam	Motoxracing
B.Sofuoglu	Yam	Motoxracing
A.Iannone	Duc	Cainam Racing