Kawasaki was keen to have Till Belczykowski as a rider in the IDM Supersport , and team manager Emil Weber gave him some time to think it over, but despite the promising test runs in Almería, it didn’t work out. The 20-year-old from Duisburg had to decline due to a lack of funding.
For the past two years, Till Belczykowski has been the only rider in the field competing on an MV Agusta F3 800 RR, leaving him and his crew—led by team owner Jan Lübbering—to fend for themselves. His successes have been hard-won. Although Belczykowski moved up one spot in the overall standings last year and earned more than twice as many championship points as before, he remained in 19th place.
Nevertheless, the familiar lineup is heading into its third year. After testing the MV Agusta’s suspension in November, the bike’s suspension is now working properly, says Belczykowski, who spent almost the entire winter in Spain. It was his first time on the racetrack all by himself. That, too, was quite an experience. “I was in Almería, Jerez, Cartagena, Valencia, Calafat, and even in Portimão, Portugal. I rode most of my laps on my old Yamaha RJ 15. Only the fork and the shock absorber had been changed. The rest was in its original condition,” says the rider from North Rhine-Westphalia.
The highlight of the Spain tour was supposed to be the test runs with the MV Agusta. The LJ Racing Team traveled to Valencia specifically for four days. But then the weather didn’t cooperate. “I was really only able to do two laps in dry conditions during those four days. The rest of the time, it just rained. Well, there’s nothing we can do about the weather,” Belczykowski says, assessing the situation, “but at least I was able to improve my feel for riding in the rain.” Belczykowski is staying on top of things.