INTERVIEW I BONOVO ACTION BMW'S GARRETT GERLOFF
P96
A test in Catalunya before
Assen didn't yield the kind of
results he was hoping but, there
was some hope.
"During the Catalunya test we
tried the opposite direction to
what we normally would, and
I was like, 'Man, that feels way
better.' We basically were going
one direction with the front and
triple clamps and a couple other
areas and it wasn't bad, but we
started going the opposite way
and it just felt a lot more natural.
I was getting more feedback.
The way the bike was turning in
and turning mid-corner and exit
improved a lot."
The result when the series re
-
turned to Catalunya for the race
proper?
Gerloff had his best
weekend of the season, posting
credible 9-7-10 results behind
the Alvaro Bautista steamroller
in a season where you've got to
be on the ragged edge to even
crack the top 10.
"That's the thing, every time
we've gone to a track this year,
the pace I was doing last year
and that everybody was doing
last year is not good enough," he
says. "You have to do another half
second or three-quarters second
to even be close to the front.
"At Phillip Island, I qualified
sixth last year with a 1:30.7. I
qualified 16th this year going
four-tenths faster! That was my
best-ever time at Phillip Island,
going four-tenths faster than last
year, and I dropped 10 places.
"But I'm really enjoying life at
BMW, with this team, and living
in Europe. I wouldn't change that
for anything."
CN
Life in Andorra can be a bit on the cold side.
"
So, now
I'm relaxed. I
can see that
BMW really
appreciates
having me
and that's just
awesome
to feel.
"
