Although Sepp Buchner and his IDM rookie Kevin Sieder narrowly missed the points twice at the season opener in Oschersleben, the Bikerbox Racing team, powered by Yamaichi Electronics, can certainly take away some positives from their debut.
For Sepp Buchner’s ambitious team, the first race weekend marked a return to the IDM Superbike 1000. With 19-year-old Austrian Kevin Sieder, the team was also venturing into completely uncharted territory. Sieder was previously unfamiliar with both the track and the level of competition in the high-caliber Superbike class. Unfavorable weather conditions during the pre-season test days made his debut even more challenging. But Buchner skillfully guided his new protégé through the weekend.
Kevin Sieder, who finished 16th and 18th in the two races held on his Yamaha YZF R1-M, reports:
“After just a few laps, the first practice session was over for me due to a crash. It took almost until the end of practice to get the bike repaired. In the second practice session, though, I managed to post some pretty good lap times. On race day, we tried out a few minor changes during the warm-up. I actually felt very comfortable with them. However, I was very nervous before my first IDM race. The excitement and tension were incredible.”
"At first, it definitely wasn't easy for me to find my rhythm. On top of that, shortly after the start, there was a collision between two riders right in front of me, which I was fortunately just able to avoid. It took me a while, though, to really get into my stride. In the end, however, I lost a lot of time because of the declining tire grip. I still need to learn how to handle the tires."
Still quite exhausted but full of confidence, Sieder tackled the second race. However, he was unable to hold on to the 14th-place position he had fought his way into and cross the finish line in that spot.
Sieder admitted:
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to come out on top. Still, the race ended on a positive note for us. Compared to the first race, we were able to significantly reduce the gap to the winning time. In addition, we collected a lot of important data throughout the weekend. I know what I need to work on; I’m very aware of my weaknesses. My team also did a great job—everything worked perfectly.”
For head coach Buchner, too, the debut went well:
“Starting with the second practice session, Kevin was able to steadily improve and ended up in 19th place on the grid. On paper, that looks pretty meager, but Kevin was faster than some more experienced IDM riders. Things are looking up.”