Things are going smoothly for Team Bonovo Action. Josef Sattler and his co-driver Luca Schmidt will start Saturday afternoon’s first race from pole position. The pair already showed strong form during free practice and the first qualifying session on Friday afternoon. Luca Schmidt, in particular, is thrilled to have secured pole position. The 18-year-old lives just 20 km from the Schleizer Dreieck and plans to give it his all on his home track. “We’re very happy with how things are going for us right now. For me, racing at the Schleizer Dreieck is a very special event. My whole family and lots of friends have come to watch live. It’s a ton of fun, but I’m also a little nervous about it,” reveals Luca Schmidt.
When the starting lights go out, the two plan to stay close to Mike Roscher and Anna Burkhard, who are starting from second place. Because of Roscher’s 1000cc engine, Schmidt expects him to pass them. “That’s why our goal is to not let them pull too far ahead, so we have a chance to pass them again—which isn’t exactly easy in Schleiz because of the narrow track,” Schmidt continued.
Michael Grabmüller and Sébastien Lavorel (Team Polizeimotorsportverein Wels Sektion Motorsports) held on to third place. For the two of them, the race in Schleiz is one of the highlights of the season. “We’re happy with our performance, the weather is great, and it’s amazing to be able to race in front of a crowd again,” said Austrian driver Michael Grabmüller.
The first race of the IDM Sidecars takes place today at 5:50 p.m. It will also be available via a live stream on YouTube .
The starting grid:
1. Josef Sattler/Luca Schmidt (ASR-Yamaha), 600 cc
2. Mike Roscher/Anna Burkard (LCR-BMW), 1000 cc
3. Michael Grabmüller/Nicolas Bidault (LCR F1/Yamaha), 600 cc
4. Markus Schwegler/Ondrej Kopecky (LCR F1/Yamaha), 600 cc
5. Peter Schröder/Manuel Hirschi (LCR1-F1/Suzuki), 1000 cc
6. Peter Kimeswenger/Kevin Kölsch (LCR F1/Yamaha), 600 cc