After her first few races last year, Lucy Michel wanted nothing more than to continue riding for Suzuki Laux and take over from Sarah Heide. Her wish has come true: the 16-year-old from Saxony will once again compete for the Bavarian team in the IDM Supersport 300 in 2021—but, as before, on a Yamaha.
How does that work? “People often ask me why we’re still using the name Team Suzuki Laux even though Suzuki has pulled out of the IDM,” says team boss Stefan Laux, speaking plainly, “but it’s actually quite simple. We make our living through Team Suzuki Laux as an authorized Suzuki dealer, handling sales, service, parts, and online retail. Most of the funding comes from this company, so it remains listed as a sponsor and competitor.” And Laux continues: “Since Suzuki is no longer involved in the IDM and doesn’t have any suitable vehicles in its lineup, we’ve decided to use the Yamaha brand as our base.” The budget isn’t quite enough for all the races yet, “but I think if Lucy can show her potential, we’ll be able to find a few more euros here and there.”
Michel can’t wait to kick off the new season and hopes “that the season can start on time and ‘normally,’ without the constant uncertainty about whether races and practice sessions will even take place because of COVID-19.” The 16-year-old, 5’0” Saxon has set himself the goal of scoring points in every race of the IDM junior class.
Laux hopes his driver can build on the progress made in 2020. “Finishing in the points in every race—that would be fantastic. Unfortunately, there are 44 other competitors who have other ideas and want exactly the same thing. But we can always dream.”
After 15 years of working with Sarah Heide, Laux is teaming up with a new rider, but he openly admits: “Lucy doesn’t have it easy, but she benefits from the experience we’ve gained as a team.” Standing next to Lucy in the pit is a young man who has recently joined Team Suzuki Laux: Bastian Ubl, 20, a Supersport 600 rider on a Yamaha.