Top 5 result in France
For the first time, the Supermoto IDM started a race in France, in Mirecourt in the Vosges. With places six and four, Jan Deitenbach from the RAVENOL BERGOS Racing team was able to maintain second place in the championship.
In the free practice sessions on Saturday, Jan Deitenbach’s Husqvarna was set up correctly on the very demanding track.
In qualifying in sunny weather in the afternoon, the native of Iserlohn was able to secure fourth starting position. “We skipped the tests and set-up rides on Friday because I came straight from a Supermoto course in Villars and have already been on the bike for three days”, explained Deitenbach in the evening. “Nevertheless, I’m happy to be back in the front row and that we’ve found a suitable set-up in such a short time. Kudos to my mechanics.”
A good half hour before the start of the first race on Sunday, a short but heavy rain shower surprisingly fell. Hectic when choosing tires. Championship leader Marc-Reiner Schmidt, Deitenbach and the Swede Gustafson opted for rain tires on the front wheel, the rest relied entirely on slicks. But it dried off quickly. Deitenbach won the start, but was overtaken by Schmidt in turn one, who crashed two corners later. Deitenbach was leading until just before the end of the third lap when he too fell over the front wheel and fell back to ninth place. With anger in his stomach and a consistent driving style, the 31-year-old was able to work his way back up to sixth place and then brought it over the finish line. “It was my decision to ride the rain tire in front. Sometimes you win a poker, sometimes you lose it. Still, it’s very annoying to fall when you’re in the lead. I think with the slick I would have had a say in winning the first race.”
The second run is quickly described. When the conditions were clear, Schmidt pulled away from the start and won in a superior manner. Deitenbach got stuck at the start, but was still able to secure third place on the inside line against Peter Banholzer. During the course of the race, Banholzer Deitenbach was partially stuck to the rear wheel and the duo came closer to second place in the second half of the race. Four minutes before the end, Banholzer made a very powerful block pass in the off-road part, pushed Deitenbach over the berm and the places were distributed. “My start in the second run wasn’t ideal, but I was able to assert myself in the first corner. In the course of the race, however, I noticed that it was my fifth day in a row on the bike and that I was slowly running out of strength. Peter’s overtaking maneuver was tough but ok. I would have solved it a little more elegantly. But that’s racing.” Deitenbach explained in the evening. “Everyone in the team did a great job this weekend. Personally, I can’t be entirely happy with my performance, even though we knew this was going to be a very difficult weekend for me. But we did well and didn’t lose a place in the championship. That is the most important thing at the end of the day.”
Round four of the Supermoto IDM 2021 starts after a four-week break at the end of August in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.
Action Pic by Lugo
