A test run was no longer an option. As a result, Luca Grünwald—who has been plagued by injuries—will use his return to the IDM Superbike series at the Red Bull Ring as a warm-up for the big Hockenheim finale.
“Nothing dramatic is going to happen this weekend,” says the 27-year-old Bavarian from Team Holzhauer Racing Promotion (HRP). Not everyone agrees. Today, Friday, Grünwald got back on the Honda CBR 1000 RR-R for the first time in a long while and finished the free practice sessions in ninth place overall. In the second session, he improved his time by nearly a second.
“Sure, my right knee still twinges every now and then, but other than that, I’m okay. I just want to have fun here in Styria, get back into the swing of things, and see how the whole weekend goes. And I’d say today was a positive Friday.” After his cruciate ligament injury and the tendon injuries in his right leg, he was happy to finally be able to ride again.
Grünwald takes it in stride that Leandro Mercado, a teammate from Argentina, is now in the pit: “It’s actually not so bad when you can exchange ideas with another fast driver and get a second opinion.”