Thanks to ties with a shared sponsor, Jan Bühn will be riding a second Honda CBR 1000 RR-R in the Superbike field at the IDM round at the Red Bull Ring from August 27–29, 2021. For team manager Jens Holzhauer, this is a welcome opportunity to gather new data for the Fireblade.
“It might not be a bad idea at all to field Jan Bühn and be able to draw on two sets of data,” says Holzhauer, who got the motorcycle up and running in the IDM Superbike 1000 class. The Honda dealer from Wittenberge worked like a beast on the development, as he himself puts it.
The latest version, unveiled to much fanfare at EICMA 2019, was said to feature the most powerful inline-four-cylinder engine of any superbike, and according to the manufacturer, the chassis was also supposed to be more radical. The Fireblade made its racing debut as an uncompromising challenge to the competition. However, Holzhauer’s rider, Alessandro Polita, secured the team’s final podium finish of 2019 on the previous model. The Italian finished third at Most.
Holzhauer hopes to find further ways to develop the Fireblade with Bühn, but makes it clear: “Jan won’t be competing at the front right away, but he’s very motivated. We went to Hockenheim and Oschersleben together so he could get to know the bike. He’ll ride for us one more time at the IDM finale in Hockenheim.”