Aegerter: ‘I deserve to be in WorldSBK’, wants promotion with Yamaha

The Swiss rider has once again been sensational to start the year and looks to be in complete control of the championship. 

Aegerter has a commanding 30 point lead over fellow Yamaha rider and series rookie Lorenzo Baldassarri, who is the only other rider to win a race so far this season. 

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But while Aegerter and Ten Kate seem to be a perfect combination in Supersport, the ex-Moto2 rider is aiming to make 2022 his last season in the intermediate class. 

Aegerter was left furious at receiving limited interest from WorldSBK teams last year - claimed nationality was a big reason why. 

Aegerter said: "I couldn't win much more and had a great season. Okay, two or three times I had bad luck with red flags and at the beginning of the season I stumbled a little because we didn't have enough engine power and maybe there was a lack of experience in the team.

"But of course, I'm 31, an old man for a rider. But there were riders in the Superbike World Championship last year who were 36 and 38 years old, I'm a few years younger than them. 

"Still, I didn't get the chance and was always the B option. That pissed me off a bit. Nobody is interested in me as a Swiss. If I were an American or Turkish, then I would clearly have more chances."

Aegerter’s opinions have not changed…

Speaking after the first two rounds, Aegerter added: "I would have deserved promotion this year. And after the first two events this year you can see that I should deserve it for next year. That is clearly my goal. 

"My goal is not to ride another year in Supersport. I'm in my prime and fit - but I'm 31 and I'm from Switzerland. I would love to ride for the Yamaha factory team, but GRT would be good too. 

"All I can do is win races and draw attention to myself. Then hopefully there shouldn't be a stone in the way."

Could Aegerter join Yamaha in WorldSBK

Yamaha could be one of the manufacturers that has the most turnover next season as 2022 is very likely to be Kohta Nozane’s final season with GRT. 

On the factory team’s side, there’s the small matter of sorting out reigning champion Toprak Razgatlioglu’s future. 

Should the Turkish rider stay in WorldSBK then it’s obvious that he will remain with the team - has a Yamaha contract until the end of 2023. 

But Razgatlioglu, who will make his MotoGP debut next month in the form of a one-day private test, could decide to swap Superbikes for Grand Prix racing. 

Should that happen then Aegerter could be a viable option to move up to GRT, while Garrett Gerloff could either remain with the team alongside him or jump across to Pata Yamaha, albeit the second of those would be unlikely at this stage given his performances of late. 

A direct switch from Supersport to the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK team is not out of the question as Andrea Locatelli made that exact move in 2020, however, with Aegerter failing to secure a premier class seat altogether last year, jumping to the factory team is a very long shot.

There has been talk of current team Ten Kate returning to WorldSBK, but that would involve finding a considerable amount of budget. 

There’s also the option of moving to WorldSBK with another manufacturer, but given his success with Yamaha, immediate results would likely be much easier to achieve with a competitive R1 than switching to another brand.