After three attempts, the three riders from the EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team were finally able to test together. The Hockenheimring served as the meeting place this weekend for IDM Superbike 1000 racer Ilya Mikhalchik and newcomers Vladimir Leonov and Tim Eby.
According to team manager Werner Daemen, defending champion Ilya Mikhalchik and Vladimir Leonov were performing at the same level. Mikhalchik felt right at home on the BMW S 1000 RR and said, “It looks like we’re ready for the start of the season.” The champion believes he will be back on the podium in 2020, even though the competition has gotten much stronger. Over the course of the season, the Ukrainian racked up twelve wins, nine of them in a row. By the end, he had a 115-point lead over runner-up Julian Puffe in the overall standings.
Vladimir Leonov made his debut with the team and on the bike at Hockenheim. The 33-year-old from Moscow has experience in the Moto2 World Championship and has raced in the Endurance World Championship and the Superbike World Championship, but he still has to adjust. “I posted consistent lap times,” he said with satisfaction, “but the asphalt is completely different from what I’m used to on other tracks, like in Spain.” So far, Leonov has only been able to complete the two days at Hockenheim. “I would have liked to try a little more, but I still think we’re optimally prepared.”