There is a sense of relief within the Hertrampf Racing Ducati team. Vladimir Leonov has finally arrived in Germany. This means the Emsbüren-based crew is now complete, and Czech rider Oliver König no longer has to do without his teammate in the IDM Superbike series. Following his arrival, Leonov headed almost immediately to Oschersleben for his first test ride on the Ducati Panigale V4R.
In a week and a half, the second round of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) will take place in Oschersleben. Vladimir Leonov was absent from the season opener. Right up until qualifying, team boss Denis Hertrampf had hoped that he might still make it. But the entry visa for the 37-year-old superbike rider from Moscow had been issued too late. Some good news: He won’t have to deal with these issues for the next two years. For that long, he’ll be able to enter any European country without a problem using his current visa. To do so, however, he had to make a stopover in Milan on his way there, where the document was validated.
There wasn’t much time to think. Just hours after Leonov’s arrival in Germany, the team headed straight from their base in Emsbüren to the Motorsport Arena in Oschersleben. “This gives Vladimir a chance to get to know the new bike before his first race,” says Hertrampf. His team switched from Yamaha to Ducati for the 2024 season.
Two days of testing aren’t everything, but on the rainy first day, Leonov topped Bike Promotion’s official timesheet after 31 laps, followed by Florian Alt with 13 laps, who held back. According to Hertrampf, Leonov is significantly faster in the rain than in the past. However, he and Oliver König will still be hard at work on further developing the V4R.
According to the weather forecast, there’s no rain expected on the second day of testing in Oschersleben. That’s when the cards will be reshuffled. And the real test will come during the race weekend from May 31 to June 2, 2024. Hertrampf is definitely thrilled that he can now continue at full speed. And he thinks Leonov is in top form. In 2023, Leonov achieved his best result of the season at Magdeburger Börde with two seventh-place finishes.