Track Days in Oschersleben, and the Bonovo Action Team, powered by MGM Racing Team, was right in the thick of it. There was plenty of excitement once again in the sidecar division. Tim Reeves set a new record, and Josef Sattler’s nerves are almost at breaking point.
"We met and exceeded our goals," concluded World Champion Tim Reeves and his co-pilot Kevin Rousseau. The same goes for Bennie Streuer and Ilse Haas. The motorcycles were further optimized at the MotorsportArena, with every minor flaw ironed out. Streuer shone with record-breaking times and was even faster on the track than last year’s second-place finishers, Ben and Tim Birchall, in the Sidecar World Championship race. But of course, champion Reeves wanted to wrap up the local track tests as the fastest rider. With a time of 1:31.69 min, the Briton ultimately set a new track record in the 600 cm³ sidecar class on his final lap. Although it’s unofficial—since it wasn’t set during a race—it’s a clear message to his rivals.
Meanwhile, Josef “Sepp” Sattler continues to face a co-driver problem. His regular co-driver, Jeroen Remmé, had come to Oschersleben despite health issues and tried to drive for at least three laps, but then had to pull out. His old elbow injury, which had flared up, really wasn’t cooperating. It is now definitively clear that the Dutchman is out for the time being.
Sattler actually plans to compete in the French Championship next week. However, the Frenchman—who got behind the wheel for a test drive in Oschersleben and really gave it his all—is unable to attend that weekend because his sister is getting married.
Sattler described 17-year-old Luca Schmidt—with whom he also completed a few laps—as a “gem.” “He’s truly talented and should be developed. We closed the gap to my teammates to within two seconds. But everything else is still too fast for him right now.” An engine failure is putting additional strain on Sattler’s nerves, but the question of a co-driver weighs far more heavily on his mind.