With Valentino Rossi potentially missing the Gran Premio de Europa with COVID-19, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP have confirmed that GRT Yamaha WorldSBK rider Garrett Gerloff will be the stand-in rider, should the nine-time World Champion be declared unfit.
So, who is Garrett Gerloff?
Gerloff has spent most of the past decade finding success at each rung of the USA motorcycling ladder. After picking up multiple trophies and wins in the WERA National series and the Daytona Sportbike Championship, Gerloff landed in the MotoAmerica Supersport class in 2015, finishing 3rd on his first attempt. He would go two better in 2016 and again in 2017, becoming a two-time Champion by the age of 22.
This success earned him a move up to the MotoAmerica Superbike class in 2018, in the factory Yamaha squad. Gerloff dealt with the steep learning curve admirably, picking up five podiums on course to fifth in the standings in his rookie year, but his sophomore season is when Gerloff truly shone. Four wins and a further 11 podiums across 20 races were enough to claim third in the standings in 2019 – just 51 points off the Champion.
The American saw this as the perfect moment to make the move onto the world stage. With the factory-supported GRT Yamaha squad offering him and teammate Federico Caricasulo a powerful package for the season, Gerloff enjoyed a good opening season on the world stage. The American claimed three podiums in 2020, the first coming in Barcelona with the other two being taken in Estoril to end the year on a high.