Markus Reiterberger dominates Zolder IDM Superbike
While Europeans generally think Australians do not have much rain experience,Yamaha rider Damian Cudlin (Team Yamaha MGM) once again proved that Aussies are masters of the rain by taking the IDM Superbike Superpole at Zolder last weekend.
“In the rain I have a really good feeling. Only in the dry we still have a bit of work to do, because I am a small step behind some of the others in the dry, “Cudlin said.
Cudlin might have preferred the wet weather to continue on Sunday, when the Taree based rider had little luck go his way.
Cudlin scored a good start in the opening bout but was unable to hold his position, Cudlin ended up putting in an impressive fight with Lorenzo Lanzi, but eventually had to give in and take fifth position over the line.
Technical issues then struck the new YZF-R1M as Cudlin and teammate Max Neukirchner battled for top positions in the second race, resulting in two DNFs for the Team Yamaha MGM squad.
Damian Cudlin – Race 1 – 5th, Race 2 – DNF – “Obviously it was a disappointing race day for us, because the practices and qualifying had been so positive. The pole position was fantastic and Max was also in the front every time, so we expected a lot more from the race day.
“In the first race I made a big gamble with the suspension setting. I went in a different direction from Max, because I wanted to get the last bit that I was missing compared to him over the weekend in dry condition. However, it was the wrong way and my mistake. Fifth position in the first race is not where I wanted to be, but it was ok.
“For the second race I decided to go with the settings that the team suggested. I noticed immediately on the out lap that the feeling was good, but then we had some technical issues. It’s a pity, but this is racing and we’re booking progress all the time and I think that we learned something else again today.”
In the first race Markus Reiterberger (Van Zon-Remeha-BMW, BMW S 1000 RR) had a poor start from third on the grid but quickly worked his way to the front and won the race, scoring a new lap record on the way to a ten-second victory
Behind Reiterberger was Xavi Forés (3C Racing Team Ducati 1199 R) in second. “I expected more. The start was just as bad as ever at the Lausitzring. Then I had to take a lot of risk to come forward again, “Forés said.
Problems struck the MGM Yamaha rider on the warm-up lap for the second race. Ther riders returning to ptilane and having to start from pit lane. After the race start Cudlin soon had to retire with problems, a similar fate then also struck Neukirchner.
Michael Galinski – Team Yamaha MGM Team Manager – “We never tested on this circuit before and in addition we had some really difficult weather conditions. In the rain we were really good and able to secure P1 and P2, which was really nice, but we didn’t have enough dry time and were not able to find the best settings in these conditions. In race one we were happy with the third place, but we could’ve done a little bit better. In the second race we unfortunately had some technical issues, which we weren’t able to solve in the short space of time that we were given. Regrettably both riders had the same problem, but we were able to learn much about the new bike this weekend and hope to be able to progress further at the next round.”
Markus Reiterberger again dominated the race, taking victory ahead of Ducati man Lorenzo Lanzi. This time the victory a resounding 26.5-seconds.
Reiterberger’s summary of the season so far on the new 2015 BMW S 1000 RR reads: four wins in four races and the lead in the championship with the maximum possible number of 100 points.
