Riders to watch in 2021: Remy Gardner
Remy Gardner is looking to do some damage in 2021.
At just 22 years old, Remy Gardner has many years ahead of him to make it as a fully-fledged MotoGP rider and after making step one in 2020, he looks to fight for the Moto2 title in 2021 ahead of a Tech3 KTM MotoGP move for 2022 provided the results are there. It is absolutely no secret that Gardner was offered a MotoGP Red Bull KTM ride in 2019 replacing the outbound Johann Zarco for the 2020 season, however Gardner opted to remain in Moto2 as he did not feel ready for MotoGP at the time before later saying he regrets denying this contract.
But as always, you cannot dwell on the past but you can put in the work to make sure the future is as you expect it to be and that is exactly what Gardner did in 2020, he competed in his 5th Moto2 season and took his second win on Moto2 machinery and his first race win in the world championship, his first Moto2 win coming at Catalunya in 2016 in the CEV Moto2 Championship. 2020’s odds were against Gardner and everything was on the cards for it to be bad with the team’s funds running low and nearly having to drop Kasma Daniel.
Gardner vs Nagashima in the CEV Moto2 championship
Remy was doomed to ride 2019 machinery with the 2019 Kalex whilst his counterparts were all on shiny new 2020 machines with 2020 updates, this meant he was at a disadvantage right from the start but do you really think he let this hold him back? No chance, it’s not like he hasn’t ridden outdated machinery before, riding a 2014 Kalex back in 2016 for the Tasca Racing team and scoring 8 points despite only completing 8 races.
This performance would be enough to score him a Tech3 ride on the Mistral 610 which was not the most competitive of bikes, yet he was still able to score front-row starts and top 5 finishes before a move to Kalex machinery in 2019 and 2020 with the SAG team.
This is where Remy really shone and showed what he was made of, taking a podium in his second race on the Kalex at Argentina with a season to be proud of, nearly doubling his 2018 points tally taking 77 points including a pole position watch also. Year by year he has made giant leaps forwards and has put the Gardner name back in the limelight after his father Wayne’s success in Grand Prix racing including winning the 1987 500cc World Championship.
Wayne has now put an incredible amount of time and effort into his sons Luca and Remy giving them what they need to achieve their dreams, in Remy’s case, racing. Wayne has spent millions of dollars to allow his son to race which is not cheap by any means, Remy’s results are now paying this back in spectacular fashion with 2020 being the best season of his career to date.
Remy on the green 2019 machine
In 2020 Gardner missed both races at Misano due to a hand fracture requiring surgery after crashing out of the warm-up in the Misano race where he was set to start from pole position, despite this unfortunate accident he was still able to take P6 in the championship, racking up 135 points which again nearly doubled his 2019 tally in a much shortened season with 1 win, 4 podiums and a pole position to show for it. He was electric all season long taking incredibly consistent top 10 finishes on old machinery and was not afraid to make risky moves and take positions away from his competitors on track.
His fluid riding style and ability to muscle the Moto2 Kalex around the track is phenomenal, his size and strength come into play here as he is incredibly stocky clocking in at 72kg at 178cm tall meaning he is definitely on the bigger side compared to other riders, this aids him with the advantage of superior strength to his competitors meaning he is able to force the bike to do as he asks without too much effort, this is shown in his heavier braking to other riders.
For 2021 he joins the KTM family under the wing of Aki Ajo who has turned many riders into champions and championship contenders with many of the MotoGP riders riding under Ajo’s wing at some point, this includes Vinales, Zarco, Miller, Martin, Binder, Oliveira and Marc Marquez – it’s safe to say Gardner is in good hands with the Ajo Motorsport team boasting 6 titles to their name on the World Stage with plenty more in the junior and youth championships.
Hunting down Marini for his first World Championship race win
Ajo will be looking to mould Remy into a consistent race winner providing him with a salary, Red Bull Sponsorship, a 2021 bike with top mechanics and most importantly a team which can win, the team also opens up a pathway into MotoGP with a Tech3 2022 ride being unofficially signed provided the results can prove to be at the required level.
Every single year without failure Gardner impresses and makes huge leaps and bounds with 2020 being no exception, he is going into the 2020 winter break with his first World Championship race win in his back pocket, his morale will be high and he’s in one of the best teams in the paddock now, 2021 is looking bright for the 22-year-old Aussie.
Featured images – www.motogp.com
