A seventh- and an eighth-place finish, a drop from the top of the standings to third place—following the Zolder disaster, Yamaha rider Kevin Wahr and tuner Diego Romero are going their separate ways. In Belgium, Wahr lined up on the grid with a borrowed replacement bike that complied with the Stocksport regulations. His actual Supersport R6, equipped with kit electronics, had technical issues that could not be resolved on site.
Both Wahr and Romero emphasize that they parted ways amicably. Without much fanfare. They’ll continue to see and talk to each other. Wahr will try to find a spot on another team. “Going it alone just won’t work. The effort required to get everything up and running again would be too great.” The title remains the goal: “That’s why I pushed the Stocksport motorcycle to its limits at Zolder.”
Diego Romero had already wanted to retire from racing a year ago, but when Wahr—who started the 2017 season with a one-two finish at the Nürburgring and ended it at Hockenheim—lost the title to Thomas Gradinger due to technical problems, it stung his pride, and he decided to stick around for another year. But now, after two and a half years together with Kevin Wahr, it’s finally over. Romero has various options on the table for the future, including job offers from the IDM. He smiles mischievously, as always: “Anything is possible.”