In exactly one week, Vladimir Leonov of Hertrampf Yamaha Racing should arrive well-prepared for the IDM Superbike races at the Schleizer Dreieck. A few days ago, he competed in the 7-hour race of the International Dutch Championship at the TT Circuit Assen and set the fastest lap as part of a team featuring several prominent riders.
Due to its long distance, the “7 Hours of Assen” is used by many professional riders as preparation for top-tier endurance races. Yamaha Motor Germany’s highlight: supporting three teams with a unique lineup. Each team featured professionals racing alongside ambitious amateurs.
The "GYTR | YART" team featured World Endurance Championship riders Marvin Fritz and Karel Hanika, alongside amateur rider Gert Jan Giesbers. The pros started the race at a slight disadvantage, as they had only landed the night before the race after a long flight from Japan, where they had been preparing for the EWC round. The same was true for their EWC teammate Niccolo Canepa, who, together with IDM pro Vladimir Leonov, led the “Yamalube | Hertrampf” team this time. They were supported by amateurs Frits Hitzel and Joop Netten.
Das dritte Team, „bLU cRU | Kiefer Racing“ bestand zum großen Teil aus den Piloten des IDM-Nachwuchsprojektes von Yamaha: Leon Orgis und Yves Stadelmann aus der IDM Supersport tauschten ihre IDM R6 gegen eine GYTR R1 und Marvin Siebdrath aus der IDM Supersport 300 pilotierte eine GYTR R6. Vierter Mann im Team war Yamaha Motor Deutschlands Marketing Manager Wim Vermeulen, der außerdem für dieses Projekt verantwortlich war.
To make the competition more comparable, the entire field of riders was divided into two classes: the Master Class for professional racers and the Expert Class for ambitious amateur riders. It was already clear during qualifying just how competitive the mixed Yamaha teams were. The three teams started in first, second, and fourth places. And they were able to maintain their strong performance even after the Le Mans start. Of course, the amateur riders couldn’t quite keep up with the lap times of the professional riders—but in the mixed field, all teams remained within striking distance of the leaders.
While the “bLU cRU | Kiefer Racing” team dropped back a few positions due to a crash, the battle for the podium spots became incredibly tight in the final hours. In the end, it was the “GYTR | YART” team that prevailed in the Master Class after 228 laps—over 1,000 km—and seven hours of racing, finishing 15 seconds ahead of “Yamalube | Hertrampf.”Despite losing time due to the crash, “bLU cRU | Kiefer Racing” still finished in 16th place in the Master Class.
