A surprise in the timesheets. Kevin Wahr, the 2017 Supersport 600 runner-up, is only in 12th place after the first qualifying session at the IDM in Zolder, which got underway today. The reason: an engine failure on his Romero-Yamaha slowed him down during free practice. “An electronic issue,” said tuner Diego Romero, assessing the situation. “We put our heads together and decided to fully resolve the problem before Kevin rides the bike again. That won’t happen this weekend.” In this case, neither a replacement engine nor switching to the backup bike made any difference.
The solution came from Rainer Wagner, a former Yamaha R6 Cup rider. He temporarily loaned his 2017 motorcycle. The suspension was switched to WP, and the tires were changed to Pirelli. What sets this loaner apart, however, is that instead of the permitted kit electronics, it only has standard electronics. Romero: “Kevin rode the first qualifying session on it to practice damage control. He’ll also be using the bike all weekend. That’s better than going home, because then we might as well write off the championship win right away.”