Supersport World Champion Dominique Aegerter recommends himself for promotion to the World Superbike Championship with victories and compares himself with former opponent Philipp Öttl
Philipp Öttl and Luca Bernardi mastered the promotion from the Supersport World Championship to the Superbike World Championship last winter. World champion Dominique Aegerter went away empty-handed, although he won the championship in impressive fashion.
The Swiss rider is in top form again this year and leads the championship in a commanding manner after a perfect weekend for him in Assen. The goal is clear: Aegerter wants to ride in WSBK in 2023 and preferably for a factory team.
“Actually, I had already earned that for 2022,” the former Grand Prix rider remarked during the weekend in Assen, where he secured pole with a record lap and won both races. With the victories at the home race of his Ten-Kate team, Aegerter clearly leads the World Championship with 95 out of a possible 100 points. After the 2022 season, he will finally be heading for the World Superbike Championship.
Dominique Aegerter wants to save himself another Supersport World Championship season
“After two weekends you can already see that I should earn it for next year. It is clearly my goal. I don’t want to ride another season in the Supersport World Championship. I am in my prime and fit. I am 31 years old. I hope nationality doesn’t matter. The goal is to race there. “
“I can’t do more than win races to attract attention,” the Swiss is aware. The successes of former opponent Philipp Öttl show where Aegerter could end up in the World Superbike Championship.
What Dominique Aegerter says about Philipp Öttl’s WSBK successes
“Philipp was an opponent. He was certainly strong. But for some reason he managed to move up to the World Superbike Championship without a win,” Aegerter marvels. “Nationality certainly played a role. Besides, he’s younger. “
“For me it’s a bit disappointing,” admits the Supersport World Champion. “But in the World Superbike Championship he is doing a great job. He rode in the Top 7 and has a lot of talent. Of course I support the German-speaking riders.”
“I beat him last year. Now he is riding in the top 7 and fighting for the top 5. Of course I would see myself there,” notes Aegerter, who would prefer to pilot a Yamaha R1. “My wish is to get into a factory team. GRT-Yamaha would also be good,” he muses.
Is Dominique Aegerter too old for the satellite Yamaha team?
But Aegerter might already be too old for the GRT Yamaha, as the Yamaha satellite team is supposed to prepare young talents for the factory team. Supersport rival Lorenzo Baldassarri has the better cards, according to insiders, because he is only 25 years old. Aegerter is aiming to talk to Yamaha WSBK project manager Andrea Dosoli and Yamaha Europe boss Eric de Seynes in the near future.
“Yamaha would obviously be the first choice,” he explains. “I can also imagine moving up with Ten Kate, provided they get a factory bike. But that requires a huge sponsor. If that doesn’t happen, then I don’t see any chance of moving up with the team. You can’t be at the top of the World Superbike Championship without factory material. “
“For some manufacturers it is certainly possible without factory material. But strictly speaking, the promotion only makes sense with factory material. You can see where the teams end up without factory material,” said Aegerter. “We will try to always stay in touch and maintain contacts. My brother will take care of the negotiations. “
The Superbike riding style suits Dominique Aegerter
Aegerter’s success at the endurance race in Suzuka proves that he can handle a superbike well. “A superbike would suit my style very well,” he confirms and specifies: “That’s firstly due to my body stature and secondly also to the riding style.”
“I have a stop-&-go style and I take the corners in a V-style. I proved my performance several times at the Suzuka 8 Hours. There I was on the podium four times with the Superbike. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to move up to the World Superbike Championship until now,” said the 2021 Supersport Champion.
