Skach Motors is going back to being a one-man show. Regular rider Martin Vugrinec will have to carry the load on his own on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR at the next IDM Superbike round in Assen. His originally planned teammate, Christian Gamarino, is no longer on the team, and team boss Oliver Skach is currently far from looking for a second rider again.
The 31-year-old Italian Christian Gamarino fell short of expectations in his appearance before the IDM summer break. He was familiar with the basics of the bike, but he didn’t know much about the IDM, except that he could expect high-caliber races at a high level—races that guest riders often underestimate. His switch from an endurance bike to a Superbike was a challenge and did not pay off.
“Expectations are always very high, and if they aren’t met at the end of the day, everything always gets blamed on the Kawasaki,” says team boss Oliver Skach, annoyed by the criticism, “but with the IDM, we have a racing series at the highest level. That’s something worth remembering. It’s not that simple. And for the record: Martin Vugrinec rode the Kawasaki faster in the Oschersleben qualifying than anyone has ever ridden the bike, and he improved his lap times by a second and a half during practice.”
The 26-year-old Croatian has spent the break in the IDM primarily working as an instructor at various training sessions. On August 15 in Assen, we’ll see what those miles on the track have earned him.