Bastien Mackels has been forced to end his season early. The Belgian rider from Team Bayer-Bikerbox powered by Yamaichi broke his hand during the second free practice session of the IDM Superbike 1000 at the Lausitzring. Mackels crashed headfirst off his Yamaha YZF-R1M in a highside in the left-hand turn at the entrance to the start-finish straight. Within minutes, his right hand swelled up significantly, and he was taken to the hospital in Senftenberg for treatment.
Mackels, 35, had arrived at the Lausitzring in tenth place in the IDM Superbike 1000 overall standings. In free practice, he was among the top five fastest riders there. Due to his injury, he will not only miss the races at Lausitz but will also be unable to compete in the Hockenheim finale in two weeks. Team boss and championship architect Sepp Buchner, who helped Marvin Fritz secure the Superbike title four years ago and had hoped to make a fresh start with Mackels, has announced that he is now retiring from racing.