For nearly ten weeks, things were quiet around the ERC team. After the season opener at the Sachsenring, the team led by Team Principal Uwe Reinhardt virtually disappeared from the scene. The Kawasakis didn’t line up on the grid at either Brno or Most. Instead, they rolled up their sleeves. Friday’s practice session at Oschersleben suggested that all that hard work had paid off.
After a somewhat mixed start to the season, the team focused entirely on further developing the Kawasaki ZX-6R 636. The goal was clear: the motorcycle had to become more competitive and, above all, faster. “We used the time to make some adjustments to the setup,” explains Lothar Kraus, Technical Director of the ERC team. “We also worked intensively on getting the mapping right so that the Kawasaki performs significantly better.”
Three weeks ago, the team therefore completed a three-day test in Oschersleben, during which the final tweaks were made. It paid off: On the first day of practice after the summer break, two ERC Kawasakis were among the top five riders on the combined timesheet.
Sasha de Vits impressed as the fastest Kawasaki rider, finishing second. Teammate Jules Bercot took fifth place, while substitute rider Felix Kauertz also made it into the top ten right off the bat in his EURO MOTO Sportbike debut. “The bike was already good at the Sachsenring. It just lacked speed. With the new setup and the changes, the Kawasaki accelerates noticeably better and is significantly faster than it was at the Sachsenring,” said de Vits, describing the progress.
Following a promising start to practice, the big question now is whether the changes will pay off under race conditions. The first practice sessions suggest that ERC has found the right adjustments in recent weeks.
Qualifying sessions to determine the best starting positions will take place as early as Saturday morning, before the weekend’s first sportbike race gets underway at 4:20 p.m. Then we’ll see whether the Kawasaki can compete for the top positions in a head-to-head battle with the competition. The race will be broadcast live on the EURO MOTO livestream.