Dominique Aegerter stays at Yamaha
The words of Dominique Aegerter
Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) will remain a Yamaha rider in the 2024 season of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship after signing a new contract. The Swiss rider won two world titles in the WorldSSP thus deserving his landing in the WorldSBK in which he shined in this first season, so much so that he snatched confirmation for a second consecutive season.
Number 77 landed in the WorldSBK paddock in 2021 with the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha team engaged in WorldSSP: at the end of the season-after an intense duel for the world title-he got the better of Steven Odendaal. Aegerter won 10 of the 21 races on the schedule, including the two at the team’s home track, TT Circuit Assen. 2022 once again saw the dominance of the Swiss rider, who won 17 of the 23 races he took part in, beating Lorenzo Baldassarri at the end of the year. He also won the MotoE World Cup title in 2022.
In this first year in WorldSBK, he surprised everyone from the start as he hit the front row at Phillip Island on his Yamaha YZF-R1, then repeated at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Swiss boasts as his best result a fourth place in Race 2 at Assen.
Aegerter also has extensive experience in the Moto2 World Championship with an impressive 168 races under his belt, including a win and a pole position. Last year he also tested a Suzuki MotoGP bike: in 2024 he will again ride a Yamaha YZF-R1 although it is not yet known with which team.
Aegerter comments on the renewal signed with Yamaha: “I am very happy to continue with Yamaha for 2024. I hope that together we can achieve some great results and make history. Continuing with the same bike definitely helps. This year we gained data since there are so many different electronics in WorldSBK. We could adapt the electronics to my riding style and that will help when we go to the same tracks next year; we will start on Friday with a better base setup. I will know what to expect from the bikes and the tracks. I hope we can raise the level to try to have a better season. The 2023 season is still long, so we will try to get some good results. I am still waiting for a podium; that is one of my goals for this season. For next year, I’m going to try to improve and be up there more often, trying to fight more consistently in the top five to try to start from the front row, to be in the first group and maybe to fight for the podium. I also want to win a race.”
Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager, Andrea Dosoli, adds, “It is a pleasure for us to see our two-time World Supersport champion, Dominique, adapting so quickly to WorldSBK. He has impressed us all, starting from the first race where he signed an outstanding performance in Superpole that allowed him to start from the front row in Phillip Island. I think there is no better way to show up in front of his pit mates and rivals! He has improved every weekend and so far in three races he has been the best Independent rider. I am confident that he will increase these numbers by the end of the season, which is why I am excited to announce the extension of his current contract for another season. I wish Dominique and his team all the best and hopefully they will be rewarded with the results they deserve.”