So that you can understand, the 20-year-old’s eyesight serves him well, but as a newcomer and Benjamin of the superbike championship, his vision is difficult in many ways during the races. More experienced opponents benefit from the knowledge of the tracks, they have driven them, they know where the furthest braking point is in the corners, where, on the other hand, you can “flood under the boiler” on the exit, which cuts tenths off the final time.
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König is learning as he goes. “They threw me into deep water and I’m trying not to drown. So I’m looking at the race records from last season so I don’t lose so much. Even so, I’m always slower in the opening practice because I have an instinct for self-preservation. I don’t want to overdo it, make an unnecessary mess and then sit down weekend in the box.”
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But now the disadvantage is being erased in Most. He knows the circuit perfectly, he could probably draw its outline blindly on paper, he is at home here. “My advantage is that I have a lot of experience from him. But it is not an advantage compared to my rivals. Two weeks ago we raced in England, where the English have covered thousands of kilometers, but the Turk Razgatlioglu, who was there for the fourth time in his life, won everything there anyway.” says König, otherwise a previously successful gymnast and athlete.
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Motorcyclist Oliver König after transferring to the Superbike ChampionshipPhoto: Florian Pejcha
But the bridge also means pressure. Family, friends and sponsors will come here for the Saturday and Sunday races (start at 2 p.m.). That’s also why he turned off his phone after the signing event in Prague’s Republic Square to escape the surrounding noise and do his best for premiership points.
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“I hope it will be successful, but we chose a season for my debut when there is competition in superbikes, which has not been there for a long time. Riders from MotoGP, Moto2 came, there are no sharpshooters and it is really fast.”
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In addition, the starting field is wider, so the path to points is much more thorny than in the past. “When it “stuck”, five people fell, so everyone was on points and a terrible glory. I wouldn’t be happy about that, I’d rather rub it off and be happy that I actually won the points, rather than having them handed to me by falls.”
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