Muggas struggles at Salzburgring but retains IDM Series lead
Australian Karl Muggeridge qualified in 4th position here at round five of the IDM Superbike championship at Salzburgring in Austria and started Sunday’s two 18 lap races from the front row.
Muggas who is still a bit battered from his massive crash at Sachsenring, was trying to score some soild points for the weekend to try and maintain an advantage over second placed Stefan Nebel on his KTM.
Karl went on to take second place in the opening race of the weekend. Pole Position man Werner Daemen tried to gap the field straight away but Muggas was able to keep up with him and they got away from the field after 4 laps. Daemens on his BMW was able to increase the gap up the hill on this high speed track every lap but Muggas always closed in again around the corners, but at the end had to settle for second place without risking too much.
Muggas comments: “We qualified fourth, which was pretty good. We could have done a bit better but with the hot conditions in the afternoon I was only able to equal the time of the morning and not improve. Nonetheless for the first race I had a good start was second into the first corner then I moved to first very briefly b before the BMW nearly pulled the stickers of my bike as he zoomed up the hill. I then did everything I could to stay with Werner on the BMW but I was unable to get back passed him unless he made a mistake. Two laps to go we had an 8 seconds gap from third, then I waved Werner good bye and cruised the last two laps to secure my second position. There’s not a lot of corners in Salzburg Ring and it was too high risk to continue to make back all the ground I lost on the straights.”
The second race of round five of the IDM Superbike championship was chaotic and got red flagged twice and restarted twice.
First Muggeridge lost the front in second place coming into the final corner before the start finish straight and smashed into the hay balls. His bike was in a dangerous place so the race had to be red flagged. Muggas was able to ride his bike back into the pits, but the damage was too much for him to return for the restart.
Werner Daemen took his second win of the day and was able to close in on Muggeridges Championship lead. Giuseppetti grabed another podium in front of Barry Veneman after the race got short cut after 10 laps due to a crash of Gabor Rizmayer who’s bike went up into flames.
Muggas comments: “The second race started the same as the first but I was having a lot of trouble with my rear tyre. Just before starting lap four I low sided, so I lost the back tyre but the bike continued all the way down on its side which is a little bizarre but I slid off and ended my day. Since being brought down in Sachsenring by Teuchert and having one of the most monumental crashes of my live, it’s been a hard couple of weeks and I’m so ready for the next three weeks off to recover.”
1 Muggeridge, Karl / Holzhauer Honda / AUS / 168
2 Daemen, Werner / Team alpha Technik Van Zon BMW / BEL / 159
3 Bauer Martin / KTM Superbike Team Germany / AUT / 130
4 Veneman, Barry / Team alpha Technik Van Zon BMW / NED / 117
5 Nebel, Stefan / KTM Superbike Team Germany / GER / 110
6 Stamm, Roman / Suzuki Switzerland / SUI / 89
7 Teuchert, Jörg / Yamaha Motor Germany / GER / 87
8 Giuseppetti, Dario / Team Hertrampf Racing Ducati / GER / 80
9 Van Keymeulen, Didier / Yamaha Motor Germany / BEL / 68
10 Jones, Gareth / RT Motorsports Racing / AUS / 54