The Hertrampf MO Yamaha Racing Team went full throttle at the TT Circuit Assen. After the last-minute cancellation of the races at the Nürburgring as part of the Truck Grand Prix due to the devastating effects of severe weather in the surrounding area, the team truck—with the IDM Superbikes on board—made a U-turn and headed for the Netherlands. Vladimir Leonov and teammate Max Schmidt competed there in the national championship on their Yamaha YZF-R1Ms. The team is donating the entry fees for the canceled races in the Eifel region to the victims of the flood disaster in the hard-hit area.
In four Superbike races, Vladimir Leonov led in three of them. In each case, the Russian left the track shortly before the end and headed for the pits out of sportsmanship. Max Schmidt, who was running between third and fifth place, followed suit. For the two riders from the Hertrampf MO Yamaha Racing Team, the trip to Assen was a last-minute alternative to the canceled event at the Nürburgring. It also provided an opportunity to test the Wilbers suspension. “We’ve made significant progress,” team boss Denis Hertrampf sums up. The base of the motorcycle shop owner from Lower Saxony and Benny Wilbers’ company are located in the same town. A partnership would make sense.
“What’s not quite right right now is the Yamaha’s geometry. The guys have been fast, but we’re not quite where we want to be with the bike. We’re missing that little bit of luck to figure out how to go even faster,” said Hertrampf, for whom the switch to Yamaha after years with Suzuki is a new challenge. Nevertheless, 34-year-old Vladimir Leonov is currently fourth overall in the IDM Superbike 1000 class. The team’s 18-year-old junior rider, Max Schmidt, is in 15th place in the IDM premier class. The next IDM races will take place this coming weekend (July 23–25) at the Schleizer Dreieck.
During the weekend in Assen, the images and news reports of the immense suffering in the disaster-stricken area of Rhineland-Palatinate did not leave the team unmoved. “We are donating the entry fees from the canceled Nürburgring event to the victims,” said Hertrampf. “It’s the only right thing we can do.”