Marvin Fritz will replace Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) during the Acerbis Italian Round with the Swiss rider still recovering from injuries he sustained while training in Austria. Fritz has been racing in the EWC for Yamaha and will make his MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship return at the Cremona Circuit, having not raced in the Championship since Portimao in 2021.
Fritz, along with Niccolo Canepa and Karel Hanika, finished second in EWC this year, including finishing fourth in the Bol d’Or which took place last weekend. Fritz’s last race in WorldSBK at Portimao in 2021, where he finished outside of the points, and it was similar at the Circuito Estoril earlier in the season. In 2021, he raced in WorldSBK twice, scoring a 10th place finish at the Autodrom Most as a wildcard rider.
In 2017, the German rider competed in six STK1000 races and took a best finish of P10 on two occasions – at Aragon and the Lausitzring – finishing 15th in the Championship standings. Five years before that, he raced in STK600 with his best finish coming at Imola when he secured 12th place. Fritz is a domestic champion in Germany, winning that title in 2016 as well as the German Supersport title in 2014. In 2023, he was crowned champion in endurance racing for Yamaha.
Discussing his return to WorldSBK, Fritz said: “First of all, I would like to wish Dominique a speedy recovery! I cannot wait to be in Cremona, to ride for the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team and the Yamaha R1 in the WorldSBK is like a dream for me, I’ll take care of Domi’s bike. I’ll have to adapt to a lot of things as since my last wild card in Portimao (2022) things have changed, but I’ll try to enjoy the weekend and do my best, having no pressure. I’m looking forward to meeting all the team, I’m confident it’ll be a nice experience.”
Fritz will race alongside regular rider Remy Gardner at Cremona, with the Australian aiming to keep up his strong season at a circuit he tested at previously. He was quick at the test in May, albeit with different conditions, and he has often been the top Yamaha rider this season. Fritz, who will race with the #17, will link up with the #87 at GRT Yamaha on the Yamaha R1, a bike that Fritz knows well albeit in endurance specification.
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Source: WorldSBK.com