Crisis mood at the season opener in Oschersleben for Team Suzuki Laux. Lucy Michel, who rides a Yamaha YZF-R3 in the IDM Supersport 300 despite the team name being Suzuki, failed to get going in free practice. However, she was back on form in the races.
Team boss Stefan Laux didn't recognize his 16-year-old junior driver in the free practice sessions. "After Lucy failed to set any respectable times, I got on my bike and rode out onto the track to find the problem," said Laux, who was genuinely concerned. "Lucy simply took too long to turn the Yamaha around in the rear chicane. She was too slow because she entered it incorrectly," analyzed Laux.
The Bavarian spoke plainly to the 1.50 m tall girl from the Ore Mountains. That settled the matter. On Saturday, things progressed step by step. After the third lap in qualifying, Lucy was already driving a second faster than the day before. Due to the strong wind, lightweight Lucy had to fight hard. Michel qualified for 17th place on the grid. The Erzgebirge native said she could have gone even faster if it hadn't been for the strong wind.
Before the first race, the previously wet track dried out slightly. Michel started on slick tires. She fought her way up to the group ahead of her and finished eleventh. In the second race, she immediately joined a group, but it later broke apart. Michel finished in 13th place.
After the opening weekend of the IDM, Stefan Laux couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, saying: "In the race, Küken Speedy Lucyiana did everything right and got the most out of the track. Eight championship points after the first weekend is more than we expected."
Michel was also in good spirits, but Laux immediately dampened her enthusiasm for the upcoming event in Most from June 11 to 13, 2021. Laux: "We haven't tested there and won't be able to do so before then." The reason: his 16-year-old racing driver has exams at school. She says: "Even on the day my team picks me up for the races in Most, I still have an oral exam in the morning."