Jonas Folger’s World Championship debut at the Barcelona Grand Prix circuit was not for the faint of heart. But the former MotoGP rider and current leader of the IDM Superbike 1000 series ensured a promising end to the weekend in Spain. There was a lot at stake for him, as Folger was hoping to use his wildcard entry to secure a spot in the 2021 Superbike World Championship. What the future holds for him will become clear in the coming weeks. His debut was promising.
In free practice, Folger was immediately able to hold his own in the midfield on the World Superbike bike, which was unfamiliar to him and differs significantly from the IDM version. It was only during Superpole that the Yamaha failed to perform, unable to deliver full power. Folger ultimately did not record a single lap in the timed session. The problem: the Superpole session determines the starting grid for the first race and also serves as the starting grid for the Superpole Sprint before the second race.
The good news: Since Folger had posted respectable lap times earlier, he had already qualified, but now had to start his first World Superbike race from the very back of the grid. After just one lap, he had overtaken four rivals. In the end, the rookie from Germany finished in 12th place.
Things went even better on Sunday. Folger and his technical crew from Team Bonovo action by MGM Racing were able to capitalize on the data collected the previous day. Just as in the first race, Folger now had to mount a comeback in the Superpole race. The 27-year-old Bavarian was rewarded with 10th place. That was also his starting position for the second main race. Result: 11th place. French rider Loris Baz thwarted his hopes of a top-ten finish with an overtaking maneuver just before the finish line.
What does Jonas Folger have to say about that? “To be honest, I was hoping for more at the end. I really wanted to finish in the top 10, but I didn’t quite make it. With the new tires, I had a bit of trouble finding a good rhythm at the start. But from the middle of the race on, everything went smoothly.”