The setup for the Triumph is largely complete as Luca Göttlicher heads to Assen next week for the fifth of seven events in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) season. It was here that the 17-year-old Supersport rider from Bavaria took part in Jack’s Race Days on short notice just a week ago. Göttlicher is aiming for a podium finish in the IDM and is feeling optimistic—something he couldn’t say about the start of his short vacation.
The flight was scheduled to take off from Munich at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Three days in Croatia—that was Luca Göttlicher’s plan. Just to relax, collect his thoughts, and catch his breath before the next race. Not to be. When Göttlicher finally took his seat on the plane at 5:00 p.m., an announcement came two minutes later that the flight had been canceled. So, off he went again.
At least in Assen, things should finally start to go the 17-year-old’s way for Team Triumph Germany Supersport Racing. In the Supersport races at Jacks Race Day, he was able to put pressure on and overtake his brand and IDM teammate Luca de Vleeschauwer. Both the Belgian and the German were riding their race bikes. “But we didn’t have the best tires and had trouble with the clutch,” Göttlicher explains. Still, the setup for the Triumph is solid. “Now I just have to make sure I don’t mess up qualifying again next week,” he adds.
At the Schleizer Dreieck, the youngest rider in the Supersport class briefly had everyone holding their breath. Starting from 12th on the grid, the rookie overtook one rider after another. He managed to work his way up to sixth place. For a long time, he was just as fast as title contender Kofler in the battle for second place.
Prior to that, he had secured his biggest success to date in Most, Czech Republic—ironically, the very place where he had suffered his serious hand injury before the season began. In the race, he went all out from 15th on the grid. During his comeback in the second Supersport race of the day, he crossed the finish line in fifth place but was classified third. A whopping 16 championship points were all his. Ahead of him were two guest riders with World Championship experience who were racing outside the standings. In the overall standings, he moved up five spots. Göttlicher had traveled to the neighboring country in twelfth place and returned in seventh. With a better starting position, even more would have been possible.
Göttlicher doesn’t care at all anymore which big names are racing alongside him. “There are some well-known names out there, but I don’t look to see who I’m passing. The main thing is that I get past them,” the young driver says bluntly. Now it’s off to the neighboring country. A good omen? The “Cathedral of Speed” in Assen will reveal whether Göttlicher’s plan pays off.
