Wayne Gardner’s son Remy headlines wildcard riders for this year’s Australian MotoGP

VIDEO: REMY Gardner has shown he’s inherited his dad Wayne’s legendary toughness, bouncing back from a sickening crash in Spain.

REMY Gardner will follow in his father’s famed footsteps at this year’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

The 16-year-old will line up as a wildcard in the Moto3 race at Phillip Island, 25 years on from Wayne Gardner’s emotional victory in the first world championship 500cc race on Australian soil.

He headlines a list of four riders that have landed wildcard berths at their home grand prix, with Olly Simpson joining Gardner and world championship leader Jack Miller on the Moto3 grid, while Aiden Wagner and Max Croker will line up alongside Anthony West in the Moto2 race.

Gardner has been racing in Spain’s FIM Repsol CEV for a couple of seasons. The series is the main springboard for young talent aspiring to race in MotoGP, and where Casey Stoner, Marc Marquez and Jack Miller honed their skills before moving up to the world championship.

Gardner has been steadily improving in the Moto3 class, recently registering a podium finish to sit 11th overall in the standings against highly-rated opposition.

Gardner (R) finished third at the Albacete round.

He even showed his dad’s legendary toughness at the latest round.

Fighting for another podium finish, Gardner crashed heavily and was run over by a rival racer.

“Luckily I was knocked out for a few seconds and don’t remember being run over,” Gardner said. “There were forty or so riders coming right at me when I came to, and crawled off the track before getting hit again.”

Despite pain in his back and ankle he was determined to take part in the restart, but his bike was unable to be repaired in time. A subsequent trip to hospital confirmed his worst injury was a sprained ankle.

Gardner will make his debut in the world championship riding for the same team he competes with in the CEV, Team Laglisse. It is a team that has fought at the front this season, with riders Isaac Vinales and Jakub Kornfeil both regularly finishing inside the top 10.

Olly Simpson.

Simpson has shown plenty of speed this season racing in the Red Bull Rookies Cup series that follows the MotoGP world championship around the world.

While his qualifying form has been stellar the 16-year-old has yet to crack the podium, his best race results a pair of fourth-place finishes. He will race at Phillip Island under the Olly Simpson Racing banner.

In the Moto2 class, Croker and Wagner will look to strut their stuff in their debuts on the world stage.

Queenslander Wagner is a rising star on the local scene. He dominated the domestic support races at last year’s Australian MotoGP event and has been on strong form in this season.

16-year-old Croker has shown potential both on the tarmac as well as dirt speedway. Last year he won the MRRDA 125cc Championship as well as the Solo U16 250/350cc Speedway Championship, and this year has seen him qualify for the World FIM Speedway 250cc Championship in Poland.

The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix will be held at Phillip Island on October 17-19.

Originally published as Wayne Gardner’s son Remy headlines wildcard riders for this year’s Australian MotoGP