Markus Reiterberger: “Out of sheer anger, I went too fast on the long lap”

Markus Reiterberger had travelled to Assen in high spirits. It is a circuit with which the Euro Moto Superbike rider from the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team has fond memories, and he was keen to add a few more good memories to them at the third-last race of the Euro Moto season. In all the practice sessions – whether on the sweltering Friday or the noticeably cooler and occasionally rainy Saturday – the Bavarian had consistently been among the front-runners. Even though missing out on the front row was certainly a niggle for him – and he started from fourth on the grid, leading the second row – the gaps were absolutely manageable.

Pushing the limits

Reiterberger got off to a good start in the first race and, after just a few laps, found himself in the leading group alongside Smits and Tulovic. The BMW rider engaged in a particularly impressive duel with Tulovic. Although Reiterberger managed to get past his rival during his attack, the latter countered immediately. After a severe front-wheel slide in the final chicane, Reiterberger let common sense prevail and decided to bring home third place as the best BMW rider. “We’d improved on yesterday’s performance,” explained Reiterberger, whose crew had quickly swapped the engine for the Oschersleben unit after the warm-up. “It was the best weekend so far. “I gave it my all to get past Tulovic. To be honest, I was pushing beyond the limit from start to finish. When I nearly lost the front wheel, I just focused on managing my lead. But I was close – it was a great race.”

No more fun

Apart from the closing stages, the second race was also a joy to watch. Reiterberger kept the pressure on the leader, Twan Smits, consistently high and had a potential victory within his grasp. Until a series of mistakes and a penalty thwarted his hopes of a podium finish. “The second race was actually even better than the first,” said the BMW rider, describing the frantic final stages. “I’d got the better of Smits, but a small mistake sent me wide.” Reiterberger had to drive across the tarmac run-off area and rejoined the race some way behind Smits. But the race stewards weren’t satisfied with the delay; the regulations stipulate a one-second penalty, and they handed Reiterberger a long-lap penalty. The Bavarian saw his chance of victory slip away and was seething with rage beneath his helmet.

“But I saw that I could win – that’s much more important.”

Markus Reiterberger

“I know, rules are rules,” he acknowledges. “At first, I felt as though the victory had been taken from me. That’s why I was so furious when I saw the ‘Long Lap Penalty’ sign. I’d lost some time – perhaps not exactly a second, but quite a few tenths – and had to fight my way back up the field. So I thought that was fair enough. How am I, as a driver, supposed to know exactly what a second is? All these theoretical games and rules really get on my nerves. But I saw that I could win, and that’s what matters most.”

Reiterberger wanted to get the long lap out of the way straight away. “I went in far too fast out of sheer anger,” he says, describing his emotions after he’d also had to drive through the gravel trap, adding a hearty “bloody hell” to his remarks. “It is what it is; I have to make a decision in a fraction of a second. For the championship and the points tally, this result is obviously bad. But we’ve still got four races to go. As a team, we’ve done a brilliant job and I’m very proud of our team.”