KTM factory rider Bernd Hiemer and all the riders in the Supermoto S1 class had more to contend with on Saturday night than the new experience of competing in a night time race. Hiemer managed a fifth place in the first race but for the later night race only came across the finish line at fourteenth for an overall seventh in the season's second event. Set in the Oval Lingotto in the city of Turin, one of the Winter Olympics venues, the race should and was a real spectacle, if for the wrong reasons. Instead of the pleasure of racing in the balmy early summer night air the clouds broke and transformed the arena into a mud bath that made riding practically impossible, according to the German KTM Factory rider.
Hiemer already experienced problems in training, particularly because of the wet and muddy conditions and considering his unsatisfactory start place was quite satisfied with his fifth place finish in the early evening race.
"The course was full of dirt and the motocross section was a real mud bath," Hiemer said. "If you went 20cm off the ideal line then it was impossible to race."
The rain had eased off for the second race later on Saturday night but conditions were no less easy, particularly riding on rain tyres, Hiemer said. He got away well and was up with the leaders in the second curve when he got bumped off by another rider, scrambled to recover and found himself at the back of the pack. He did manage to fight his way back through the pack and by the fifth round was back to fourteenth place. Hiemer tried to hold on but was involved in two more altercations also resulting in crashes.
"I am quite sore from bruises from the crashes, but fortunately it was nothing really serious," the tough KTM Supermoto rider said after the event that turned out to be a real lottery race. After two rounds of the championship Hiemer is lying sixth in the standings with 48 points. The next round in the world championship series is next weekend in France.
Results
1. Thomas Chareyre, France, Husqvarna
2. Thierry van den Bosch, France, Aprilia
3. Adrien Chareyre, France, Husqvarna
4. Aurelien Rolland, France, Yamaha
5. Jerome Guraudo, France, Aprilia
7. Bernd Hiemer, Germany, KTM
Images by Batini P.
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