A Strong Performance Despite a Rough Start: Ben Kugler didn't let anything slow him down in the second free practice session of the IDM Sportbike on Friday in Schleiz—after a battery issue, the Aprilia rider finished a strong fourth.
In racing, stories are often written right in the pit—and that was certainly the case for Ben Kugler. Just as the 20-year-old from Team Motolife was about to get on his bike for the second free practice session of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) on Friday afternoon, everything went dark: the dashboard was dead, the battery was dead. Nothing was working anymore. While his competitors were already setting their first fast lap times, Kugler’s crew had to replace the battery in a flash—and precious time slipped away. It wasn’t until ten minutes before the end of the session that the Bavarian was able to hit the track, and he immediately shone on his very first lap with a time of 1:33.82 minutes, landing him directly in fifth place. The Bavarian found his rhythm and temporarily moved up to third place behind Inigo Iglesias (Freudenberg RoRa-Paligo Racing) and Oliver Svendsen (Triumph Germany Racing Team). When the session ended, Kugler finished the chaotic practice session in a strong fourth place.
The 21-year-old was satisfied after the practice session: “The test days last week paid off. We tried everything and have now found a setup that works. I feel good on the bike—and it’s really fun to ride here in Schleiz in front of so many spectators.”
Things will get serious for Kugler on Saturday: Q1 is scheduled for 8:25 a.m., followed by Q2 at 11:35 a.m. The first IDM Sportbike race will take place later that same day at 3:15 p.m. There, Kugler wants to prove once again that he’s a force to be reckoned with.