There was a lack of positives for Garrett Gerloff and the Kawasaki Racing Team on their only day of Winter Testing in 2025.
The opening day of the Jerez World Superbike Test was Garrett Gerloff's last track action with the Kawasaki Racing Team in 2025, as he will not continue testing until 2026.
The American rider made his debut on the ZX-10RR in 2025 and had an inconsistent season with the Japanese manufacturer. On the one day of testing he had at the Spanish circuit, Gerloff was reunited with his old Crew Chief, Les Pearson.
"It wasn't bad, the biggest thing was getting my new Crew Chief, Les Pearson, up to speed with all the numbers on the bike," Gerloff told WorldSBK.com.
"We threw a lot of stuff at the bike, changing a lot of setup stuff, geometry, just trying to get an understanding for him, and also for myself. With what different changes make the bike feel like, I'm not going to lie, it gets a little complicated, and I got lost a little bit.
"But in the end, I am decently happy with how it went. I am only testing today. I'm not going to be testing again until next year, which is a baptism of fire for him [Pearson], to get up to speed in one day."
'I wish there was something we tried today that was all positive.'
Gerloff completed 61 laps across the eight hours of testing and ended the day in eighth on the timesheets. However, he was 'frustrated' with the lack of improvements throughout the day.
"It is complicated with this bike sometimes, because like all things, there are positives and negatives," he explained.
"I wish there was something that we tried today that was all positive, but it always seems to balance out, where it is equal parts positive and equal parts negative. We did a lot, but we stayed still all day, doing the same times.
"That is what frustrates me, it has nothing to do with the team, just kind of frustrated with not being able to find anything that makes me feel like I am taking a step forward."
Despite the lack of positives on track, Gerloff was happy to be reunited with Pearson and will be working hard with him to improve the package ahead of their next test in January.
"It was good, it is nice to have a familar face back with me, it was like we hadn't stopped working together," Gerloff stated.
"I feel like we collab really well together, so I think all in all it was good. He's been quiet for the last 15 minutes or so; he is thinking a lot. So, we need to put our heads together and figure out what we might be able to improve going into January."
