Great sadness in the team of Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner: The founder of the GRT Yamaha team in the Superbike World Championship passes away after a serious illness
On Monday evening Yamaha announced that Mirko Giansanti, the founder of the GRT team, has passed away after a serious illness at the age of 46. “Mirko faced this final challenge with courage and dignity, the same qualities with which he marked his career, first as a rider and later as founder and sporting director of the Giansanti Racing Team,” Yamaha shared.
“Unfortunately, this was his last race,” the team regrets. “Mirko’s enormous love and passion for motorsport have shaped the team from its inception in 2016 to the present day and will continue to do so in the future. “
Mirko Giansanti himself started his career as a rider, first in the 125cc class, then in the 250cc class and finally in the Supersport class, where he had many successes. The next step came when he founded the GRT team with his friend Filippo Conti.
The team celebrated some successes. In the 2017 season, the team won the Supersport World Championship with Lucas Mahias. In the 2019 season, the move up to Superbikes followed. With Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese, the team had a powerful rider pairing in its WSBK debut season. Later, Garrett Gerloff and Dominique Aegerter, among others, joined the team.
“Mirko, we will miss you terribly, but we know you will always be with us,” the team shares. “We promise you that we will work even harder to achieve our shared dream of taking your project and ours to the top of the world. Most importantly, we will always keep your memory alive. “
Yamaha WSBK Project Director Andrea Dosoli also reacted to the sad news of Mirko Giansanti’s death: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mirko after a long illness. He was a man who said little, preferring instead to lead by example, and with that approach he and the GRT Yamaha team achieved a lot.”
“Mirko was an integral part of our Yamaha racing family. He will be missed in the WSBK paddock. Rest in peace, Mirko,” said Andrea Dosoli.
