Following his surprise return to the Sidecar World Championship, Markus Schlosser has his hands full. The 52-year-old has to catch up during the current season on everything other teams already took care of during the offseason. For example, not only does his sidecar need an upgrade, but Schlosser also needs to brush up on his knowledge of the Most circuit, where the FIM Sidecar World Championship will be held as part of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) from June 21 to 23.
“It’s been a few years since I last raced at Most,” explains the 2021 world champion. That’s why he and his new passenger, Luca Schmidt, spent a day testing there last Thursday. They took a close look not only at the track and the conditions but also at the sidecar. “My team and I have been working day and night on the machine over the past few weeks. Now the sidecar is up to 2024 standards,” explains Schlosser, who had not performed any further work on the sidecar since his retirement in 2022. “After all, a quick return wasn’t planned. But sometimes a spontaneous fresh start is a good thing,” says the Swiss rider optimistically.
The technical changes made to the sidecar remain a secret. In any case, Luca Schmidt was pleased with the lap times: “It went well, and after just one day we were already almost at the same level as last year,” reported the passenger from Zeulenroda. After the test day in Most, Schmidt drove straight back home to be back at work in time for his night shift.
One problem, however, remains unresolved: the interplay between tires and setup. “Whenever we drive with new tires, there are problems with the setup. We’re still working on finding a solution,” explains Schlosser, who still has a good week left until the next race weekend. Because despite all the challenges, the goal for Schlosser/Schmidt is crystal clear: “We want to win the World Championship, not just participate.”