Gerloff has now taken part in nine individual WorldSBK races on his Ninja ZX-10RR, after a pre-season spent testing the machine and acclimatising to his new working environment. Currently, Garrett is 17th overall in the championship standings, having scored points in four of the full distance races.

Finding the kind of pace that saw him finish high in the timesheets at some winter tests will be a priority for Garrett and his team before they take on the challenge of three races in total at Cremona. Friday May 2, will host two free practice sessions, with Saturday May 3, comprising an FP3 session, Superpole Qualifying, and then the first 23-lap long race.

On Sunday 4 May, the WorldSBK action will involve a ten-lap Superpole race and then a final 23-lap Race Two. After Cremona, the fifth round will take place at the Autodromo Most in the Czech Republic, between 16-18 May.

Cremona will truly feel like a home race for the bulk of the Kawasaki Racing Team staff. Manuel Puccetti’s racing HQ is based just over the regional ‘border’ from Lombardy, in the town of Reggio Emilia, located within Emilia Romagna. It is just a one-hour drive from the team’s workshop to the intensely twisting 3.768km long Cremona Circuit.

Garrett Gerloff stated: “I am really excited to get to Cremona, a place where I had success last year, when I was inside the top five. I hope that we can have the same level of performance and the same energy. We all want to do really well at the home race of the Kawasaki WorldSBK Team.”