Since Friday, Marvin Siebdrath has been the proud holder of a driver’s license. Now there’s only one thing left for him to achieve: the title in the IDM junior class, the “ Supersport 300.” How are things going for the 2021 runner-up, who is once again racing for Team Füsport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki? Some of his former rivals are now racing in other classes, so the path ahead seems clear, but new talents are also entering the fray. We checked in with the 18-year-old from Saxony.
As the 2021 runner-up, the pressure of being the favorite to win the title is on your shoulders. How do you handle it?
That's just the way it is. But I'm taking the situation in stride, even though I'm the top candidate. Otherwise, I might make mistakes.
As a high school senior, you’ll be taking exams soon. How do those dates line up with your racing schedule?
We still have two weeks of regular classes left, and then we’ll start preparing for exams. I’m lucky that not a single exam overlaps with a race weekend. Maybe I’ll have to open my notebook at the track and study a bit, but other than that, everything works out perfectly.
Will the team be doing any more testing before the season starts?
In any case, we’ll be in Oschersleben for two days over Easter, where I’ll finally get to ride my Ninja 400 again. We were actually planning to meet up in Assen this coming Tuesday, but the weather forecast is bad and the team management canceled the test. It’s supposed to be around five degrees with rain. Conditions were similar last year, and back then we were only able to complete three laps. Our long trip there wasn’t really worth it.
What are your next goals?
To win the IDM Supersport 300 and then move up to the Supersport 300 World Championship or to the IDM Supersport 600.
At 178 centimeters tall, you’re no “little guy.” Does that work out well in the long run on a Supersport 300 motorcycle?
I don’t have a problem with it. And Lennox Lehmann, who has won the class twice, is even taller than I am.