After the season opener at the Lausitzring, two worlds collided. On the one hand, Sarah Heide was delighted to have scored points in the IDM Superbike 1000 right from the start; on the other hand, the only woman in the premier class struggled with her lap times. She was a second slower than she had been a year ago. Why that is remains a mystery. There isn’t much time to think about it. The next IDM round will take place from June 6–9, 2019, as part of German Speedweek in Oschersleben.
The season opener at Lausitz is now officially history, though it won’t be forgotten. Even during qualifying, in warm weather conditions and on soft tires aboard the Suzuki GSX-R 1000, the 31-year-old rider from Team Suzuki Laux ADAC Sachsen struggled to find her rhythm. The night before race Sunday, the team completely reconfigured the bike’s entire suspension setup, but without any significant success. During the warm-up, the Suzuki felt better to Heide, but still not satisfactory. There was nothing more to be done.
After a successful start from 17th place, the Zwickau native fought her way up two spots in the first race. In the second race, she finished 14th. “The points were a consolation, because the lap times were unacceptable,” said team boss Stefan Laux, remaining very matter-of-fact. “But we’re putting that behind us now and looking ahead.”
Sarah Heide, whose career had long been in jeopardy due to budget constraints, had envisioned the season opener differently. “First of all, a big thank you to my sponsors and my team for their support; without them, I wouldn’t be here at all,” she said to her supporters, adding: “My fitness training and track practice in Spain had made me extremely confident going into the season opener. That makes it all the more disappointing that I struggled so much at Lausitz and don’t know why.”