Lukas Tulovic suggests discussing clear heat regulations for the future

Lukas Tulovic of Team Triple M Ducati Frankfurt has now recovered from the rigours of last weekend’s Euro Moto event at Most. Although he secured two wins and 50 points, thereby further extending his lead at the top of the standings, Tulovic ended up in the local infirmary. The scorching-hot engine block had singed his left calf. As he dismounted from his motorbike after Race 2, it was immediately clear that all was not well for Tulovic, who is otherwise professional in every situation.

A race devoid of fun

“That feeling when you’ve been battling it out for 25 minutes, gritting your teeth, with the air at 40 degrees and the tarmac at nearly 70 degrees, and the boiling motorbike is burning you, but you’ve got no way out,” was how he described the ordeal, particularly in Race 2. “I thought so often about simply pulling out of the race, taking the easy way out; with every lap the pain grew worse, but the finish line was getting closer.”

“It had nothing to do with having fun anymore; I just wanted to get off, stop feeling the pain, cool down, tend to my wound and get away from that hot motorbike. In the end, the win was beside the point,” he admitted afterwards. “A day later, though, I was still proud that I’d seen it through. But I also know that I never want to find myself in that situation again. I hope all the riders who needed medical attention are doing well, given the circumstances. Above all, my friend Marcel Brenner, who had to go to hospital after a highside. Look after yourselves.”

Da glüht die Wade

Foto: Tulovic

His colleagues, too, described the conditions at Most as merciless, inhuman or hot as hell. Among them were riders who had already experienced summer heat in Asia or central Spain. Yet Most, with its 40 degrees and almost no wind, was a step up from anything they’d faced before.

“I’m feeling very well again now,” Tulovic assures us a few days after his scorching ride on his Ducati. “My calf was cooled down well in Most with a gel and a wet bandage. “I’d already got burns; after a certain amount of time, that becomes extremely painful. The burn in Most wasn’t that severe, but I just wanted to get away and out of the leathers. And cool down.” He’s not alone in experiencing this Ducati heat. “Yes, that’s typical,” he confirms. “Especially on the left-hand side. The engine is unprotected there, and the V4 engine has a special design where the rear block has no cover. We’re considering what to do about that in future. Either fit a cover or make some adjustments to the leather suit.

But no fuel shortage

Towards the end of the first race, Tulovic began looking back at his pursuers with unusual frequency. His Ducati had suddenly displayed a ‘low fuel’ warning. He was in danger of running out of fuel. “I still had two laps to go,” says Tulovic. “So I started to conserve fuel. Also, so that I wouldn’t be too light at the weigh-in afterwards.” But apparently the fuel sensor had overheated and triggered the warning too early. In the end, there were still two litres left. To be on the safe side, an extra splash was added to the tank for the second race.

“In the second race, I was constantly thinking about pulling out,” says Tulovic. There had been discussions beforehand about shortening the distance – by two laps. As there was no unanimous decision, the idea was scrapped. After race day on Sunday, one or two riders are likely to have reconsidered their decision. It certainly wasn’t down to the riders’ fitness. But it’s also about the safety of others; among other things, a marshal had to be taken away by ambulance.

Discussions about the future

The equipment was also put through its paces. Water temperatures well over 100 degrees spoke for themselves. “With hindsight, perhaps we should give some thought to certain climate-related rules,” suggests Lukas Tulovic diplomatically. “For example, two or three fewer laps from 35 degrees, and from 40 degrees, shorten the race to ten laps.” Lukas Tulovic, too – apart from his left calf – coped well with the heat. His motorbike, like those of his rivals, is likely to need a major service first.