Features 15 Jul 2014

Catching Up: Remy Gardner

Son of GP legend on path to a world championship career.

Remy Gardner was born with racing in his blood. The son of Aussie grand prix hero Wayne Gardner showed a love for the sport at a young age and his dream of racing at the highest level has been supported by his family who relocated to Spain to give him every opportunity for success. Competing against the best young talent in the world, the path towards the Moto3 World Championship class hasn’t been easy, but persistence and work ethic has paid off, and the first of what is certain to be many podium results was a vital confidence booster. CycleOnline caught up with Remy to find out a little bit more about his racing results and his aspirations in the sport.

Source: Team Gardner Racing.

Source: Team Gardner Racing.

Thanks for speaking to us, Remy. We haven’t spoken in depth previously, so can you bring us up to speed on the past few seasons prior to 2014?

I started in Australia, just riding a Moriwaki 80, and learning on go kart tracks and things like that. I also did a bit of supermotard. I then got invited to go to a race in Spain, at Albacete, on a Honda 100. That was my first race and that kind of kick-started things for me. After that we went over to Spain to do the CMV championship, which is pre-Moto3 class for the CEV. We had a good year in that and thought that we would move here and give it a shot. Its been really tough, a really tough last three years. Not everything has gone to plan. The first two years of the CEV was a pretty hard time. The bike we had in that first season didn’t really have a strong engine, and we couldn’t get the better engine parts. It just wasn’t nice to be getting passed down the straights all the time, and racing around the back. I never thought I’d really make it to the front. But things have evolved and we got on board with a good team, and now there’s a good energy, good people and a good bike there so things are starting to happen. The first half of the 2013 season wasn’t great, I broke my arm in testing and missed the first race, but I got back into it pretty good. Mid-season was good but the finish of the season was just so unlucky, it just didn’t pan out for me.

2014 has proved a breakthrough year in terms of results, especially with your first podium. Do you feel that you’ve developed as a rider and how much confidence does this latest result give you?

This year we haven’t had a really good start. I broke my hand in a high-side at Jerez on the Saturday and raced on the Sunday. Then Le Mans was probably the worst race weekend of my life. I just had sort of a mental block in the race, it definitely wasn’t good. And then things didn’t really get better for me until Albecete. It was there I thought to myself that things couldn’t really get worse, so I kind of just relaxed and tried to enjoy it a bit more. It all clicked into gear there and it went okay. I’ve had some help from Randy Mamola, plus my personal trainer at the gym, and it did all fit into place and I was able to get my first podium.

Tell us about the bikes in the CEV Moto3 class. Just how similar are they to the world championship Moto3?

There’s pretty much no difference. In my team I don’t think we use the same as the GP engines, though some other teams do. Estrella Galicia, they are the test team for Honda, so they basically have the same or better bikes than MotoGP because they get all the parts. So the level is really, really high.

This class is widely recognised as the platform to take riders to world championship racing. Add in the fact that Spain is far and above the most dominant nation in motorcycle racing, just how tough is the competition out there?

The championship leader is breaking MotoGP lap records. So the top five is top 10 MotoGP easily, the level is that high. The pace is just so fast. A MotoGP rider from the top 10 would have to put up a fight to win, you know? It wouldn’t be easy.

In the past there’s been mention of Moto3 wildcard rides, the natural step for you before pursuing a full season. Any updates on this front?

To get wildcard entries, you need the results. We got denied for Montmelo, which was a bummer. So we’ve entered a wildcard for Phillip Island, which we’re hoping we’ll get, and Aragon, the local round for us.

That makes 2015 a realistic year for your first full word championship season then, doesn’t it?

Yeah, that’s obviously my main goal. I was going to go this year but we didn’t think I had enough experience yet, so we’ve held off one more year. We want to make a good end to the season with some quality finishes and aim to be top five where we can. If we can be with the front group then that’s good. Then we’ll probably try our hardest to get into the GP.

Source: Team Gardner Racing.

Source: Team Gardner Racing.

What’s it like having your dad in your corner as a mentor?

We started off the year with dad coming to the races, but I’ve now told him to stay home. I don’t know, I just seem to go better without him there, which is strange. It’s not like he pressures me or anything, but it’s more so he knows what he’s talking about, maybe he can say too much and just give too much information. It can just get into your head I guess, and complicate things too much. But he understands that and he is happy to stay home and support from there. I have other people there at the track getting me mentally prepared and ready for the races.

So what is the best piece of advice he has ever given you?

To enjoy the journey, just enjoy what comes. It’s a long road, and if you don’t enjoy it you’ll burn out too fast.

Team Gardner Racing is obviously a family effort, with your younger brother Luca also making steps towards a road racing career in the long term. What’s it like when you two are together, a classic case of sibling rivalry?

My brother can be hard work when he goes to the track. I don’t really like going to his races, he doesn’t listen to me much! I’ll sit there and watch but I don’t like to get involved. He just tells me he knows what he’s doing [laughs].

Your path towards grand prix racing in the CEV series is one many Aussies consider when they look to take that next step. What advice could you give up and coming riders thinking about making this move?

When you come from Australia it’s a pretty big shock. If you’re winning in Australia, it’s not really going to be that far up the grid in Spain. When I got here I was thinking top 10 in the first year, but I was back down on the last three rows of the grid. It’s really hard, but if you’re that dedicated and committed, you will come over here and put your whole life into it to get results and follow what you want to do. But it is a long hard road, and you need the commitment, from the rider’s perspective and parents as well.

Thanks for the chat Remy. How can we keep up to date with your progress?

Thank you, you can check out the website teamgardnerracing.com or on the usual social media for updates.

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