Eight weeks ago, Marco Fetz crashed during Superbike qualifying at the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) in Oschersleben and broke his fifth thoracic vertebra. Now the doctors have given him the green light to race again.
Marco Fetz's BMW S 1000 RR is back on the track. He made his comeback during free practice at the Red Bull Ring. "The doctors treating me have given me the green light, everything has healed well, and I've also been to see the race doctor. I can still feel a slight twinge in my spine, but it doesn't hurt anymore. It's great that I'm allowed to ride. I like the Red Bull Ring. I couldn't ride here last year or the year before because I was injured," said Fetz, who is not averse to the pouring rain that has accompanied the weekend. "I was here testing in 2021 and was really fast, and it was raining then too."
However, the Bavarian driver first has to get used to the new chicane, and in the first free practice session he also had problems with the gear linkage. And that's not all: "When I drove out of the pits again, I couldn't see anything under my helmet. I had picked up the wrong nose cone, the visor was completely fogged up, and I drove the last four laps blind on the Ring."