In just four weeks’ time, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will make its much-awaited return to the Lausitzring. Fans have not had to wait until the Pirelli German Round, however, as on Saturday afternoon the town of Frankfurt (Oder) welcomed the latest WorldSBK Ride In as fans watched on in their droves.
The action kicked off at 11am and ran into the afternoon. Markus Reiterberger led the parade of bikes down the Karl-Marx-Straße of Frankfurt (Oder), located in the State of Brandenburg where the race action will take place next month. Reiterberger (Althea BMW Racing Team) was joined by fellow German and STK1000 rider Julian Puffe (Agro On-Benjan-Kawasaki), both accompanied in the bike-train by WorldSBK riders Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) and Karel Abraham (Milwaukee BMW) – as well as a selection of faces from the IDM.
In the vicinity of the Oder river, the riders then took to the stage in the makeshift WorldSBK paddock, assembled to give race fans a foretaste of things to come. Some were luckier than others, winning VIP tickets to the Lausitzring and a chance to stroll through the paddock itself in September. On a beautiful August afternoon in Germany, the riders were available for interviews and autographs while plenty of merchandise was snapped up to adorn the vast Lausitzring stands at Round 10.
Markus Reiterberger announced at the event that the German would definitely be back on track at his home Round, following a highside crash in Race 2 at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli that saw the Althea BMW rookie fracture vertebrae. The reigning IDM champion is eager to get back to a venue that has seen him take a good number of podiums and wins.
WorldSBK’s next stop will be the Pirelli German Round, staged at the Lausitzring on the weekend of 16-18 September. Kawasaki Racing Team rider Jonathan Rea carries a decreased championship lead of 46 points over teammate Tom Sykes, with 200 still left on the table in 2016 and everything to play for.
