Toni Erhard and Troy Beinlich are not only teammates at Roto-Store BRT, but also rivals. Over the Easter weekend, the two IDM Supersport took to the track on their race bikes for the first time this year. They put the Kawasaki Ninja 400s through their paces at Lédenon in southern France.
The Circuit de Lédenon is 3.151 kilometers long, has 13 turns, and, according to the local council, requires a whopping 38 changes in speed. The racetrack is the main attraction in this small town in southern France. For Erhard and Beinlich, the sun they had been hoping for finally made an appearance there over Easter. However, it was accompanied by extreme gusts of wind.
The main goal of the Roto-Store Beinlich Racing Team: to gel as a team. Newcomer Toni Erhard first had to get used to the Kawasaki Ninja 400, which he had traded in for his KTM RC 390. The 20-year-old from Schwarzenberg took to it right away. His lap times kept getting faster and faster. Over the three days of testing, Erhard was half a second faster than Beinlich. “We expected that,” says Chief Technician Knut Beinlich, summing up the situation. “But it was totally fine. Troy barely rode last season. And he didn’t lose out to Toni either. We hope that both guys will finish where they belong in the coming season. Their recent results didn’t reflect their true potential. I think we have two real talents on the team. Toni was the class champion in 2018 and Troy finished seventh. In 2019, they were the best German-speaking riders in the IDM Supersport .”
Eighteen-year-old Troy Beinlich from Thuringia had nothing but positive things to say about the Lédenon test. “My bike is fast,” he concluded. “I’m also getting along well with the new tires.” Slicks will now be used in the junior class. Beinlich Jr. sees a lot of potential, especially in his collaboration with Toni Erhard: “I was able to put in a few good laps with Toni, and I think we’ll work very well together as teammates.”