M.Schumacher Racing 990 KTM tomorrow - Top Bloke

[jellison]

Got to see how ths goes.

It is a KTM 990 only race at Misano - he says he will be happy to qualify (hope he does) be interesting to see how he goes.

Check teletext BBC1 360 page

[alonso11]

Im not sure if the thread will stay, but at the end of the day we do discuss F1 test-drivers in here.... (Yamamoto, van der Garde, Schumacher, etc)

Anyway he finished both qual sessions 3rd but he closed his gap to pole from 1.8sec to 0.3sec during the second session.

It isnt the first official 2wheel race he takes part in though, last weekend he was riding a Honda CBR1000 RR at Hungary's second bigest racetrack the Pannoniaring. (he actually landed his privatjet a few kilometres from the track with 4 Honda CBR's onboard.. just in case ) He took part in the 3rd round of an Austrian-based Superbike series the Skoox Cup. He recorded the pole position time in his category but asked the organizers to let him start from the back so that he can practice overtaking and race action. Eventually he finished the raced 3rd overall (behind two pro-riders who happened to be champion and vice-champion from last year of the cup) He took it very seriously, countiously discussing everything with engineers and fellow racers and he was there for the test day as well, staying a total of 3days for the event.

It was a top-secret thing that he's coming, so everyone thought its going to be just another pracitce when at 9.00AM a familiar face appeared in his 2008 Alpinestars race suit, allegedly as he was taking his bike out the pit litteraly everyone was holding their mobiles, phoneing mom/dad/grandma/mate dave/gf/local tv/ to tell them what they saw

Picture gallerys and info are here:

http://ajanlo.plt.hu/cgi-bin/common/...schumi08_k.JPG

and here : http://www.skoox.at/indexx.html
and here: http://www.pannonia-ring.com/index.php?id=45

[jellison]

Great Update. And if this get pulled cos !It is not F1 then that is just plain Bonkers. What is more F1 that Schumi.

I'll be following this.

Anyone knows Bike are better that F1 anyway - Jerez tomorrow - Bring it on.

[dazbaz_99]

Pulled? What makes you think that.

It may get MOVED to the Bike Forum, or it might just stay here.

[Gil Abobeleira]

Wasn't this bloke who said that Le Mans is dangerous? (oh come on, any more dangerous than motorcycle racing?)

Maybe somebody at Ferrari will lend him a Ferrari 312 T4. It will teach him what real cars are

[Cougar]

I recall hearing/reading about the race in Hungary somewhere? I recall he did indeed finish 3rd but didnt get onto the podium?

[Dani Filth]

no . he didn't collect the trophy

[Gerben24]

Originally Posted by Dani Filth

no . he didn't collect the trophy

There was a turn called Rascasse he had trouble with cornering, so he couldn't make it to the rostrum.

[alonso11]

Finished 4th.. droped back to 14th after the start (clutching was still a tad bit amateurish) only to recover from there to 4th recording the 2nd fastest lap of the race in the process (only 1tenth shy of race winner and fastest lap setter Andrea Padovini's best lap) .. not half bad ainnit

[chunder]

Fair play to the guy, he is just having fun and gettin loads of exposure for bike racing.

PLease dont expect anything from this guys, he is simply having a crak and also helping Scuberth develop a bike helmet.

[alonso11]

Originally Posted by chunder

helping Scuberth develop a bike helmet.

he rode in a Shoei (with the logos blanked out)

[chunder]

But on anoethr site he IS helping Schuberth

[jellison]

Originally Posted by alonso11

Finished 4th.. droped back to 14th after the start (clutching was still a tad bit amateurish) only to recover from there to 4th recording the 2nd fastest lap of the race in the process (only 1tenth shy of race winner and fastest lap setter Andrea Padovini's best lap) .. not half bad ainnit

TOP MAN

[Hazza]

That's fantastic! Great news.

It's also sorta exciting, I know not to expect anything...but Wild Card somewhere maybe?

[Schummy]

I think Aspar should give him one of his 125cc bikes (for example, Talma's).

[alonso11]

Originally Posted by Hazza

...but Wild Card somewhere maybe?

Its been rumoured for a while now that he plans a wild-card ride with a private Ducati at the Grand Prix of Italy, and to add fuel to that rumour yesterday he was testing the GP8 again.

Ducati's Motogp team was testing in Mugello when their test rider Vittoriano Guareschi reported ill, they asked Schumi if he wanted to replace him and the answer was most probably "hell yeah" as Schumi was there in no time, covering 43 laps on their 2008 challenger on a wet Mugello. His best lap was a 1:58.0 wich is 8 sec off the track record, but then again, the track conditions were far from ideal.

[jellison]

Originally Posted by alonso11

Its been rumoured for a while now that he plans a wild-card ride with a private Ducati at the Grand Prix of Italy, and to add fuel to that rumour yesterday he was testing the GP8 again.

Ducati's Motogp team was testing in Mugello when their test rider Vittoriano Guareschi reported ill, they asked Schumi if he wanted to replace him and the answer was most probably "hell yeah" as Schumi was there in no time, covering 43 laps on their 2008 challenger on a wet Mugello. His best lap was a 1:58.0 wich is 8 sec off the track record, but then again, the track conditions were far from ideal.

Let hope this happens.

[Knowlesy]

I fail to get excited about the prospect of someone entering a race to be eight seconds off the pace.

I suspect Schumacher is simply indulging in a major hobby of his and good for him. He is having enormous fun!

But if he turns up for a GP I'd be shocked to say the least.