diff --git a/cscs-checks/prgenv/gpu_direct_acc.py b/cscs-checks/prgenv/gpu_direct_acc.py
index 7e0ba5224c..e07b6d4d15 100644
--- a/cscs-checks/prgenv/gpu_direct_acc.py
+++ b/cscs-checks/prgenv/gpu_direct_acc.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import reframe as rfm
 import reframe.utility.sanity as sn
-from reframe.core.launchers import LauncherWrapper
+
 
 @rfm.simple_test
 class GpuDirectAccCheck(rfm.RegressionTest):
@@ -23,10 +23,6 @@ def __init__(self, **kwargs):
                 'MPICH_RDMA_ENABLED_CUDA': '1',
                 'MV2_USE_CUDA': '1',
                 'G2G': '1',
-                'X': '$(pkg-config --variable=libdir mvapich2-gdr)'
-            }
-            self._pgi_kesch_variables = {
-                'LD_PRELOAD': '$X/libmpi.so'
             }
             self.num_tasks = 8
             self.num_gpus_per_node = 8
@@ -48,7 +44,10 @@ def setup(self, partition, environ, **job_opts):
             environ.fflags = self._pgi_flags
 
         if (self.current_system.name in ['kesch']) and \
-            (environ.name.startswith('PrgEnv-pgi')):
-            self.variables.update(self._pgi_kesch_variables)
+                (environ.name.startswith('PrgEnv-pgi')):
+            self.pre_run = [
+                'export LD_PRELOAD='
+                '$(pkg-config --variable=libdir mvapich2-gdr)/libmpi.so'
+            ]
 
         super().setup(partition, environ, **job_opts)
diff --git a/cscs-checks/prgenv/gpu_direct_cuda.py b/cscs-checks/prgenv/gpu_direct_cuda.py
index a767ae8fde..771be65846 100644
--- a/cscs-checks/prgenv/gpu_direct_cuda.py
+++ b/cscs-checks/prgenv/gpu_direct_cuda.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import reframe as rfm
 import reframe.utility.sanity as sn
-from reframe.core.launchers import LauncherWrapper
+
 
 @rfm.simple_test
 class GpuDirectCudaCheck(rfm.RegressionTest):
@@ -17,33 +17,34 @@ def __init__(self, **kwargs):
                 'MPICH_RDMA_ENABLED_CUDA': '1',
                 'MV2_USE_CUDA': '1',
                 'G2G': '1',
-                'X': '$(pkg-config --variable=libdir mvapich2-gdr)',
-                'LD_PRELOAD': '$X/libmpi.so'
             }
 
         self.num_tasks = 2
         self.num_gpus_per_node = 1
         self.sourcepath = 'gpu_direct_cuda.cu'
         self.num_tasks_per_node = 1
-
         self.modules = ['cudatoolkit']
 
         result = sn.extractsingle(r'Result :\s+(?P<result>\d+\.?\d*)',
-            self.stdout, 'result', float)
+                                  self.stdout, 'result', float)
         self.sanity_patterns = sn.assert_reference(result, 1., -1e-5, 1e-5)
-
-        self.launch_options = []
         self.maintainers = ['AJ', 'VK']
         self.tags = {'production'}
+        self.pre_run = [
+            'export LD_PRELOAD='
+            '$(pkg-config --variable=libdir mvapich2-gdr)/libmpi.so'
+        ]
 
     def compile(self):
         # Set nvcc flags
-        nvidia_sm = '60'
-        cpp_compiler = 'CC'
         if self.current_system.name == 'kesch':
             nvidia_sm = '37'
             cpp_compiler = 'mpicxx'
-        self.current_environ.cxxflags = ('-ccbin %s -lcublas -lcudart '
-                                         '-arch=sm_%s' % 
-                                         (cpp_compiler, nvidia_sm))
+        else:
+            nvidia_sm = '60'
+            cpp_compiler = 'CC'
+
+        self.current_environ.cxxflags = (
+            '-ccbin %s -lcublas -lcudart -arch=sm_%s' %
+            (cpp_compiler, nvidia_sm))
         super().compile()