Metcher and Suzuki Podium at Zolder IDM
Suzuki achieves a podium racing at Zolder in Belgium
John Newman
Team Suzuki Mayer's Jed Metcher raced to a podium position in the Supersport class at the second round of the German IDM Championship at Zolder in Belgium at the weekend.
After running off the track in Saturday's rain-lashed opening race, the Australian re-joined to finish ninth. But in Sunday's second race, he put his GSX-R600 onto the second step of the podium after carving through from a tenth on the grid. Because race winner and guest rider Wim van den Broeck (Yamaha) was not eligible for IDM series points, this gave Metcher a winning twenty-five point score that elevated him from tenth to sixth in the series.
Metcher
Said Metcher:
"At first I didn't realise I'd scored top points for the second race until I got on the podium. During the first laps I saved my new Pirelli tyres and didn't get to the limit. The track was partly dry, but still wet in some sections. When Wim van den Broeck got in front of me, I knew I had to do something but I couldn't pass him as it was risky, but at least my lap times where faster than his."
Team Laux ADAC Sachsen's Sarah Heide - the only female rider in the field - celebrated her twenty-fifth birthday on Saturday and scored three points in both races.
The next IDM round takes place at Motopark Oschersleben on June 14-16th.
Race 1:
1 Leon Bovée (NL/ Yamaha)
2 Jan Bühn (D/ Yamaha)
3 Roman Stamm (CH /Kawasaki)
4 Tatu Lausletho (FIN/ Yamaha)
5 Kevin Wahr (D/ Yamaha)
9 Jed Metcher (AUS/ Suzuki)
11 Jesco Günther (GER/ Suzuki)
13 Sarah Heide (GER/ Suzuki)
Race 2:
1 Wim van den Broeck (B/ Yamaha)
2 Jed Metcher (AUS/ Suzuki)
3 Kevin Wahr (D/ Yamaha)
4 Roman Stamm (CH/ Kawasaki)
5 Manou Antweiler (D/ Yamaha)
14 Jesco Günther (GER/ Suzuki)
16 Sarah Heide (GER/ Suzuki)
Championship Points (after 4 of 16 races):
1.Stamm 77 Punkte,
2. Wahr 76,
3. Bovée 58.
6. Metcher 43.
12. Günther 18.
13. Heide 16.
Information from Team Suzuki Press Office - May 16.