|
Michael Schumacher’s protestations that he is not interested in taking on the professionals while chasing his latest passion for motorcycle racing thrills, look like vanishing into a haze of exhaust fumes.
It is odds-on that the Formula One legend turned biker is all set to step up his two-wheeled hobby and enter the pro arena at world championship level next year.
That is the rumour doing the rounds after yet another venture, albeit with a tumble, into an eight-hour event in Oschersleben some weeks ago.
And, I understand, he has secured a premier licence to race in the IDM (Internationale Deutsche Motoradmeister Schaft) championship next year when he will be 40.
Neither his age nor his being happily married and the father of two has deterred the genius who was a seven-time F1 champion from sticking his neck out on 321.8 km/h motorbikes.
Not even frequent falls have put him off wanting to mix it with some of the world’s top riders despite his assertion: “I know I’ve had a little bit of success, but I am not cocky enough to believe I can step into the pro arena.”
He has gone back on his word – and he will, I am told, team up with German Superbike champion Martin Bauer and front-runner Matthias von Hammerstein on a full-blown Holzhauer CBR1000RR Honda for a complete season next year.
As a rehearsal for his shock move into big-time biking Schuey made his surprise World Championship debut in the Eight-Hour Endurance race – and suffered a slow slide-off crash in practice that badly damaged his bike but, thankfully, left him unhurt.
The popular feeling is that Schumacher’s team were using the Eight-Hour clash as a test bed for his talent at the top level and as a try-out for the German Superbike championship.
Lapping it all up
He qualified just two seconds off the pace for the Endurance event – but all three Team Holzhauer Racing Honda riders managed only a limited number of laps between them because of extensive chassis changes during the race.
The result was that they were not included in the final classification. Not that they were worried. They had given themselves an airing ahead of the Superbike clash.
And Schumacher had showed his mettle by clocking 1.29 seconds compared with the quickest lap of the Endurance encounter of 1:28.04 logged by the Suzuki factory team who finished in third place.
He looked pretty sharp in the race despite his stop-start progress and frequent visits to the pits – but he did have a risky tendency of rushing at the corners, trying desperately to hold onto his speed.
And that over-enthusiasm lost him crucial ground on his rivals on the exits. It was noticed and passed onto him by former Yamaha ace Christian Sarron, himself something of a wild man in his world title bid heydays against the brilliant likes of champions Freddie Spencer and Eddie Lawson.
The old French star said later: “I have been watching Michael all week and he’s not bad on the bike, not bad at all. But his positioning on the bike in the corners is all wrong and I’d like to help him put it right so he can go even faster.”
Schumacher, racing on two wheels against the concerns of F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, his old Ferrari team boss Jean Todt, and many close friends, all of whom fear for his safety, responded: “I’m always willing to listen and to learn. And Christian knows what he’s talking about.”
After his Saturday show, he moved into the Sunday follow-up action among the hard-case professionals with plenty of confidence and grabbed a respectable 15th place after qualifying 13th.
And just as he did at Ferrari, he spent loads of time in the garage taking the advice of his crew chief and garnering the advice of his teammates, especially Bauer who came third.
Schumacher, a frequent holidaying visitor to Dubai from his lakeside Swiss mansion, banked around £800 million (Dhs 5.4 billion) in wages and private sponsorship deals from his glory days as the most successful F1 driver in history.
“Sure, I have a lovely family, a superb home and a great life with all the benefits I need, but racing is in my blood,” he said, “and that’s why I am absolutely hooked on to the challenge that bikes offer.”
Does that mean, and could he confirm, that he is heading for a season among the pros?
The question was met with an enigmatic smile. No revelations. No confirmation. But, crucially, no denials either.
Knowing him as I have done all his F1 life and being well aware of his hunger for a challenge I’d put money on it.
|
