Garrett Gerloff Switches From BMW to Puccetti Kawasaki For 2025
Garrett Gerloff has won the race to join Puccetti Kawasaki, bringing an end to his time with BMW
The 2025 World Superbike line-up has undergone further changes with Garrett Gerloff securing his future at Kawasaki. With KRT transitioning into its partnership with Bimota, Puccetti Kawasaki will receive the same hardware and data technology used by the current full factory team.
What that means is Gerloff and Puccetti Racing will form an ‘official’ one-bike factory team thanks to support from KRT, and in the process keeping the ‘Ninja’ name in the championship, while the current KRT outfit will remain the Japanese manufacturer’s full factory team with Bimota.
Puccetti’s competitiveness since losing current championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu has dwindled, and the quality of rider has also dropped for the team. A six-time podium finisher with Yamaha, Gerloff is yet to replicate that feat with the Bonovo Action team, who took BMW by surprise earlier this season when confirming it would end its partnership with the German company.
Tito Rabat is the current Puccetti Kawasaki rider, but the former Moto2 champion has lost his seat to Gerloff who won a three-rider battle for the ride. Michael Ruben Rinaldi and BSB rider Ryan Vickers were said to be the other contenders. Like Gerloff who is yet to crack into the top five in a race this season, Rinaldi’s 2024 campaign has proved difficult at Motocorsa.
The only American rider in the championship, Gerloff offers something a little bit different to many riders and Puccetti will be getting a rider that’s yet to show his full potential.
Speaking after the announcement, particularly about the upgrade to a factory-spect ZX-10RR, team owner Manuel Puccetti said: “On behalf of myself and my team - as well as my sponsors and my family - I would like to express what an honour and privilege this is. Since my first days in racing I personally appreciate the elements that make a rider or team successful.
“I started racing on a 125cc production machine in an Italian cup race in the late 1990s and by 2002 I had taken the challenging step to become a team owner. Just one truck, some motorcycles and a loyal group of sponsors to start with.
“Yet, from these beginnings, we worked and worked to become what we are now; a team with World, European and National Championships to our credit and a success record that includes over 120 podiums.
“In 2025, we will field current season KRT Ninja ZX-10RR machinery and I can only say this is a dream come true. Rest assured we will do our best to fulfil the ambitions of Ninja fans across the world in the coming season. We are truly honoured.”
Reflecting on his new deal, Gerloff is keen to get back to the form that made him a rider to watch out for during his first season on the M1000 RR.
“I’m really excited to have an opportunity to stay in WorldSBK for next year and especially with them, it feels like it could be a really good thing for both of us,” said the Texas-born rider. “Last year here was really good for me, I remember having some good races and had two fourth places in the long races, which is the best I did last year.
“I want to have the same thing this year at the very least. We’ve been struggling this year to get the same results with a similar package and we’re not 100 per cent sure what's going on. I’m excited not to have to wake up at 6am on Saturday and Sunday!
“That’s good news for me; I can wake up, get some breakfast, chill, and then show up to the track later for the races. I could get used to that schedule! How we finished last year and how the first test went at Jerez, I was expecting this year to be already a much better year and we’ve just been struggling.
“It hasn’t been an easy year at all. It’s nice to have something in my back pocket, so I don’t have to be worried or anything like that. I haven’t been worried at all about it this year, I hadn’t been thinking about it.”
