Things are back on track for Dutch rider Danny de Boer and the Weber Motos team . They’ve reached an agreement. De Boer will take over the Swiss team’s Kawasaki ZX-10R effective immediately. This brings an odyssey to an end for both sides.
De Boer had joined Michael Galinski’s MGM Yamaha team before the season. He was considered a potential title contender. However, the equipment and preparations for the R1M at the first race were completely different from what the Dutchman had been promised. He assessed the situation soberly and concluded that he wouldn’t have been able to make it to the podium with it. De Boer, for his part, pulled the emergency brake and withdrew.
Weber Motos had been counting on Mathieu Gines, the former World Endurance Champion, to be their star rider, but he was sidelined by injury at the start of the season and never quite found his top form on the ZX-10R. The Frenchman was also absent from the starting grid in Schleiz. He chose to compete in the World Endurance Championship race at Suzuka instead of the IDM Superbike 1000.
Now everything has fallen into place. De Boer will ride for Weber Motos in the final three IDM rounds at the Lausitzring, in Assen, and at the Hockenheim finale. The Dutch rider had already agreed to the deal via email last week. Testing took place at Hockenheim, and the deal was sealed with a handshake. Everyone involved is on the same page.
“The test was important to us. We wanted to see if Danny could really handle the Kawasaki,” says team manager Emil Weber. Danny de Boer explains: “The most important thing for me, first and foremost, was that there was a family-like atmosphere within the team. I need that kind of environment to be successful. We still have a lot of work ahead of us with the Kawasaki, but it has potential. In the morning I was still having major problems and we had to completely change the setup. By the end of the day I was going much faster. With a few more hours on the bike, it’ll get even better, and I believe we can finish in the top five by the end of the season.” It was almost clear to de Boer that BMW would be in a class of its own at the top. “I already saw it last year and had a feeling when I was riding there.”