SBK | Gerloff finds a seat: he will be on Puccetti’s Kawasaki in 2025

After Yamaha and BMW, Garrett Gerloff is preparing to start a new chapter in his career in the World Superbike Championship next season. The American rider has in fact signed a deal with Puccetti Racing for next season, which will entrust him with a 2024 version of the Kawasaki ZX-10RR.

Gerloff had been looking for a seat since, after the Misano round, his current team, Bonovo Action, announced their decision to leave the World Championship of production-derived motorcycles at the end of the season. It must be said, however, that the adventure with the satellite structure of BMW, which began in 2023, has so far been below expectations, with the pole position achieved last year at Magny-Cours being the real satisfaction.

Not much for a rider who previously, riding the Yamaha of Team GRT, had shown interesting things, conquering six podiums in the three years riding the R1, which had also guaranteed him the opportunity to debut in MotoGP for the Iwata manufacturer: in 2020 he replaced Valentino Rossi in the free practice of the Valencia GP when the “Doctor” was positive for “Covid”, while in 2021 he raced the entire Dutch GP with Petronas SRT in place of the injured Franco Morbidelli, finishing in 17th place.

This year things are not going too well for him, who in the first six rounds of the season has placed just three times in the top 10, with two eighth places at Phillip Island and Most as his best results. Who knows, maybe having defined his future could be a push to do better starting from Portimao.

“On behalf of myself and my team, as well as my sponsors and my family, I would like to express how much this represents an honor and a privilege for us. Since my early days in racing I have always appreciated the elements that make a rider or a team successful. I started racing on a 125cc production bike in an Italian Cup race in the late 90s and in 2002 I took the difficult step of becoming a team owner. I started with just a truck, a few motorcycles and a loyal group of sponsors,” commented team owner Manuel Puccetti.

“Starting in this way, we have worked and worked to become what we are now; a team that can boast World, European and National Championships under our belt and a successful record that includes over 120 podiums. In 2025, we will be fielding the current KRT Ninja ZX-10RR machines and I can only say that for me this is a dream come true. Rest assured that we will do our best to fulfill the ambitions of Ninja fans around the world in the coming season. We are truly honoured,” he added.

However, this is also an important agreement for Kawasaki, because in this way the Japanese brand will be able to have continuity on the grid, given that its official team will switch to wearing the Bimota brand next year.

“Manuel has a unique combination of experience, results and enthusiasm and his record of success is tangible proof of his tenacity and professionalism. The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team is already working closely with KRT in the current WorldSBK Championship and therefore the communication channels on WorldSBK-related matters are firmly established and productive,” said Shigemi Tanaka, General Manager, Marketing & Sales Division of Kawasaki Motors, Ltd.

“For Kawasaki, it is important to maintain a presence in WorldSBK with our Ninja brand. With our support for Kawasaki Puccetti Racing and through the loan of our resources and Factory Ninja ZX-10RR machines, we can publicly show our appreciation for Kawasaki Puccetti Racing and be confident that the Ninja brand will continue to play a significant role in the WorldSBK paddock,” he concluded.