Although he is only 19 years old, Max Schmidt has a huge challenge ahead of him this weekend. The Wuppertal native is the only Superbike rider left on the Hertrampf MO Yamaha Racing Team. His teammates Vladimir Leonov and Kartheininger will not be competing in the fifth round of the season, which is being held at the TT Circuit Assen. The Russian is still recovering from a hand injury he sustained at the Schleizer Dreieck. Kartheininger returned to Germany shortly after arriving in the Netherlands for family reasons.
For Max Schmidt, the unique position he now finds himself in at Assen is both a blessing and a curse. “I never expected a situation like this at all,” he says. “It’s pretty crazy when I’m the only one coming into the pits and have to give feedback. Usually, the top priority is Vladimir; now everything revolves around me. Of course, it’s nice because it helps me make progress faster. On the other hand, I’m missing Vladimir’s feedback—that second opinion and confirmation that we’re heading in the right direction.” Schmidt finished today’s free practice in 15th place on the timesheet.