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After little gamble in his tyre choice due to changeable weather, Dominique Aegerter finished eighth in the first main race of the weekend in Most.

Dominique Aegerter and his Italian GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team continued on Saturday practically where they had left off after yesterday's second practice. Continuous improvements in lap times in stable conditions this morning created higher hopes of a good performance in Superpole, which decides the starting grid. On his last lap, Aegerter was well on his way to a more promising position than tenth on the grid until he made a mistake in the last corner before the line and crashed.

From midday onwards, threatening clouds darkened the sky over the Autodrom Most in the northwest of the Czech Republic. Isolated rain showers were not long in coming, so that all teams hurriedly switched to rain setups. At the latest when the top-class field of the Superbike World Championship was on the starting grid, the rain stopped, and it was also foreseeable that the track would dry. Aegerter and his crew therefore opted for intermediate tyres, with which the 32-year-old Swiss had no previous experience. Starting from tenth on row four, Aegerter ultimately finished a solid and faultless race in eighth place.

On Sunday, as usual, the Superpole race and the second main race are on the program. ServusTV and Eurosport2 will broadcast live in German-speaking countries, as will the stream on worldsbk.com.

#77 Dominique AEGERTER (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK, Yamaha YZF R1)
Grid position 10 / Race 1: P8

"Our Saturday started with good improvements in terms of lap times. In qualifying we finished in tenth place. Unfortunately, I had my second crash of the weekend on the last lap. In the last sector I was fastest, but I guess I wanted too much and went off the line a bit. In the next moment I lost control of the front. It is a pity, and I am sorry for my team because they had a lot to do in the short break until the race start. So, a big thank you to the entire GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK team, because they made an incredible effort to fix the bike in time. Even on the grid they were still working on the bike to get it completely ready. So, again thanks to everyone. In the afternoon, the weather went crazy. We went out to the grid with rain tyres. But there I realized that it was possible to ride with intermediates. I think about ten other riders had the same choice, while everyone else started with rain tyres. Some went to the pits to change their tyres. I, on the other hand, went through the distance."

"The first six or seven laps were not easy because I struggled to find a pace. But in the last laps I got stronger and stronger and was able to overtake some riders. On the penultimate lap I was overtaken by Bassani, who was much faster after a pit stop to slicks. Over the entire distance, however, I had to work a lot with the electronics, which was not so easy. But it was necessary because the track conditions changed a lot. In the end it was completely dry. Nevertheless, I finished eighth and scored eight important points for the championship. I am happy with my performance, especially because I finished in the top ten again. A big thank you to the team and hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow so we can improve further. In Superpole race I want to finish in the top nine so that we have a better starting position for the second race. Finally, I would like to thank the many fans who have already been here today. That always gives me a lot of motivation."

#CZEWorldSBK - Superpole:
1 Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU / TUR / Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1 / 1´30.801
2 Danilo PETRUCCI / ITA / Barni Spark Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4R / 1´31.261 +0.460
3 Michael Ruben RINALDI / ITA / Aruba.it Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4R / 1´31.307 +0.506
10 #77 Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1 / 1´31.822 +1.021

1 Jonathan REA / GBR / Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR / 36´10.894
2 Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU / TUR / Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1 / +4.007
3 Danilo PETRUCCI / ITA / Barni Spark Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4R / +7.939
8 #77 Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1 / +23.777

WorldSBK Standing:
1 Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / Ducati / 395
2 Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU / TUR / Yamaha / 341
3 Jonathan REA / GBR / Kawasaki / 226
9 #77 Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Yamaha / 109

#CZEWorldSBK – Time Schedule for Sunday July 30th (CEST):
09:00 - 09:15 Warm Up
11:00 Superpole-Race (10 Laps - 42.120 km)
14:00 Race 2 (22 Laps - 92.664 km)