The motorcycles are here, but the riders are missing. Melvin van der Voort will be the sole representative of Team SWPN in the International German Championship (IDM) this weekend at the Red Bull Ring.
At the Red Bull Ring, too, the Yamaha with the number “47” in Team SWPN remains unridden. Rob Hartog’s debut in the IDM Superbike continues to be delayed. His recovery from the crash during practice for the 24 Hours of Le Mans is taking much longer than expected. The crash occurred in April. The 31-year-old Dutchman injured his neck and shoulder. Hartog has not yet competed in a single race in the IDM Superbike this year. A planned appearance at Most fell through after a test. The Schleizer Dreieck offered a glimmer of hope, but Hartog’s symptoms persisted. “He is now undergoing laser treatment to help the fracture heal better,” team manager Frank Brouwer explains, “but no one can say when he’ll be fit again.”
The Superbike Yamaha with the number “91,” ridden by former reserve rider Bastien Mackels—who has since become a full-time rider on the team—will also be absent this weekend. The Belgian is competing in the eight-hour race at Suzuka, Japan. The race is part of the FIM Endurance World Championship, in which Mackels also competes.
That leaves Melvin van der Voort, the 17-year-old IDM Supersport runner-up, who trails leader Twan Smits by just seven points. He’ll be flying the flag for SWPN this weekend. The Dutchman can take the lead in the Supersport class standings at the Red Bull Ring if his winning streak continues—a streak van der Voort needed after his two crashes in Oschersleben to get back to the front of the pack. According to team manager Frank Brouwer, everything is looking good: “But every race is a new race, and you never know what’s coming.” For van der Voort, everything is geared toward a move to the World Championship.