Lukas Tulovic and the ‘homework’ comparison at the Euro Moto in Most

With temperatures currently soaring during the third round of the Euro Moto series in Most, the Czech Republic, it was time for a behind-the-scenes look at the top riders in the Superbike class. After all, whilst an ordinary person might find themselves gasping for breath and breaking out in a sweat just from normal movements, the Euro Moto riders have to deliver top performances.

Lukas Tulovic from Team Triple M Ducati Frankfurt, racing with start number 1 following last year’s title win, got off to a flying start to the new season with the new Panigale V4R, securing a one-two finish at the season opener at the Sachsenring. In Brno, however, his points haul was rather modest, as it wasn’t until the second race that everything went to plan. He has nevertheless remained in first place in the standings, though his rivals – led by Marcel Schrötter – have closed the gap considerably.

• How do you plan for practice, Superpole and the race given the conditions at Most? Will it be business as usual, or are there any special tricks to help you cope better?

• How crucial will tyre management be during the race?

• How do you keep fit so you can perform at your best over a weekend like this?

Lots of riding and plenty of fitness

“We’ll just have to wait and see how warm it really is and how warm it’s going to get,” said Tulovic on the subject of strategy shortly before the start of the Most weekend. “I had a look at the weather forecasts; they were predicting something like 33 degrees. That’s still manageable. It also depends on whether it’s muggy or dry heat. Whether there’s a breeze makes a big difference. Basically, we need plenty of practice time, especially now with the new V4R. We simply need every minute on the track to set up the bike, particularly after all the problems we had recently in Brno. So it’s important to ride a lot and clock up the kilometres. Accordingly, I’d tend to say it’s business as usual. Of course, as a rider, you can take steps regarding your diet, as well as your pre- and post-session routines, to get back to feeling fresh quickly and avoid getting tired over the course of a weekend. The key will be to ride a lot.”

“Tyre management will play a very minor role at Most, I think, because Pirelli only allows us to use the SC1 there,” he explains. “The World Championship riders are also allowed to use the SC0 – at least they use it in qualifying. In the race over the full distance, as far as I know, they’ll only use the SC1 as well. We only have the SC1, and over a 16-lap race distance at Most, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Of course, you have to be physically fit,” the Ducati rider emphasises in conclusion. “And in top shape. It’s important to acclimatise to the conditions as well, and then the weekend will show who’s done their homework and who hasn’t.”

Euro Moto Superbike 20206 Standings after four of 14 races