Luca Schmidt had been losing sleep over the decision. But the 20-year-old from Zeulenroda, Thuringia, accepted the offer to compete as Markus Schlosser’s passenger in the FIM Sidecar World Championship. Together with the Swiss rider, he took the lead in the overall standings at the season opener in Le Mans a week and a half ago. He doesn’t want to miss the chance to become world champion with him at the end of the year in the LCR Yamaha sidecar.
Schlosser had traveled to France to test tires and assess the situation, while Schmidt went as a spectator. Neither had a partner before the race. They teamed up, lined up together, and won. Sattler Motorsport had cleared the German for the Le Mans race. But now the Bavarian crew must completely do without the junior driver in a team specifically geared toward young talent. The exceptionally talented Schmidt has stepped down as a co-driver and joined the team of Markus Schlosser, the 2021 world champion.
“It was a tough decision for me,” Schmidt says with all his heart, “I’ve been on the team with Sepp Sattler for four years, and the new rider, Patrick Werkstetter, is really eager to race. But then you’re presented with the chance to team up with Markus, and you’re already World Champion with him. I jumped at the opportunity. Honestly, it wasn’t easy to call Sepp. I really didn’t want to do it. But I had to.”
The project isn’t a done deal yet. Whether a full season can be pulled off still comes down to funding. At Le Mans, Schlosser raced “almost on a whim,” without any sponsorship or further plans. He had actually announced his retirement two years ago. But since his success, the sponsorship machine has kicked into gear. “It’s a difficult task,” says Schlosser, who is tackling the season with a surprise comeback. The 52-year-old trained motorcycle mechanic currently has a performance contract with an unnamed sponsor. “If I win, I get money. If I finish second, I get nothing.” On his website, Schlosser promotes his club, where people can become members for a fee. “I’m looking everywhere to see what I can generate.”
Schlosser expects stiff competition in the FIM Sidecar class. “The young guns are giving it their all.” Financial resources are essential to keep up. Schmidt has no money. At Sattler Motorsport, he could have raced without having to contribute. “I can’t ask anything of him now,” Schlosser realizes, “but I expect him to take advantage of the opportunities that arise. Leading the World Championship gives him a powerful advantage.”
Schmidt, who is more nervous than usual—“I was always completely relaxed with Sepp”—describes his current search for sponsors as tough, “because we don’t have enough lead time.” But he has called everyone who could and would help him with this. He is also counting on the support of MSC Schleizer Dreieck and MSC Freier Grund.
Sattler Motorsport has signed 26-year-old Valentin Pirat as the new co-driver for 19-year-old Patrick Werkstetter. “We had to move fast,” says Sattler, “but the French are really good at this. Within a few hours, we had all the paperwork sorted out for him.”
