The first day of practices for the 45th Motorcycle Grand Prix in Macau got cut short due to rain. Just the first free practice in the morning was about to go ahead at 7:30 local time and everything went well. It was a great success for the Penz13.com Racing Team even though the crew faced some minor problems trying to solve for the first qualifying. It was the first outing of Austrias Horst Saiger on board the BMW S1000RR and he earned a respectable 10th spot. Teamboss Rico Penzkofer fought to 13th place.
Saiger surprised in his first outing with the BMW and got to a best effort of 2:33,518 Minutes and was close to the top six. He faced no troubles. Penzkofer meanwhile had some issues as the traction control didn’t work as it should and the engine overheated a bit. The rider from Böhlen (Germany) had to sit out the last 20 Minutes of the Session. By now his crew has fixed those problems. First practice ended with a best effort of 2:34,268 Minutes and a 13th place for Penzkofer.
First Qualifying, which was set to start at 3:50 local time, was cancelled due to rain, dropping in at Macau shortly after the first practice session of the bikes. Whereas cars where heading on a hunt for the pace on the Guia circuit the motorbike riders unanimous decided to not go out on track as this would be too dangerous.
Rico Penzkofer
“I am completely satisfied with our first day in Macau, even though the traction control didn’t work as I had wished and I wasn’t able to ride during the last 20 Minutes as the engine overheated. But those issues are solved already. I know for sure I would have been capable to lap into the 2:33s today. Our Horst surprised me today. He was sitting on the BMW S1000RR for the first time ever and he was already faster than he was ever before in Macau. This shows he is capable of a good pace and that the BMW is a real strong bike. It was the right decision to cancel this afternoons qualifying session, I would not have gone out in the wet.”
Horst Saiger
“I am totally satisfied. I didn’t hit any barriers and I didn’t have a spin like the guys in the F3 or WTCC all the time. At the beginning the track was really dirty and slippery. I would have liked to try something with the suspension, but it rained. Just as well, so we are going to ride tomorrow. I got along with the BMW very well, especially if one considers that I just sat once on her for arranging everything.”
