Mid-season review: Norick Blödorn – Strong performances without making big headlines

“Things are going really well everywhere at the moment,” Norick Blödorn noted with satisfaction. “Things are going brilliantly in England, Sweden’s going really well too, and even in Poland I can’t complain. So it’s just great fun at the moment and there haven’t been any real slumps all year. And the problems I’ve had have only been off the track.”

The North German cited the fact that he spends a lot of time on his motorbike as a key to his success. “Actually, we’ve stuck very closely to our plan of riding as much as possible. In Sweden, England and now in Poland too, I’m riding at the very highest level; that was also one of the reasons why I chose the European Championship over the U21 World Championship back then, because I wanted to see what I was missing compared to the international elite. That’s exactly what I’m experiencing now in the Ekstraliga week in, week out, where all the riders are always giving it their all.”

Blödorn also emphasised that, with success behind him, everything is currently going more smoothly and that he’s particularly careful not to repeat past mistakes. “When things are going well, you don’t worry so much and you don’t drive yourself too crazy, because you don’t have quite as many doubts. We know what didn’t work in the past, so we’re trying to get it right better and better – that seems to be working at the moment.”

Blödorn wanted to see where he stood on the international stage

Whilst Blödorn is competing and performing well across several leagues, his first year after the U21s has also been an adjustment, as he isn’t currently competing in any specific age group. “It was a bit strange going into the season, because before that I’d always had the clear goal of winning a medal at the U21 World Championships. So last year, I went to Malilla whilst I was ill, under the pressure of having to perform well to win a medal. And it didn’t work out. Then you kind of fall into a bit of a slump, because that was what I’d been working towards all year, and it was all over so quickly.”

“This year it’s a bit better because I can concentrate and focus from race to race. So in that respect, it’s been good so far. But of course, it’s not meant to be a long-term solution,” said the 22-year-old. “Because I’m not competing in the top-tier races, a lot of people aren’t necessarily aware of my results. But when I look at the fact that I currently have an average of 1.6 in the Ekstraliga, almost 2 in Sweden, and somehow 1.8 in England – that’s absolutely brilliant.”

That didn’t work at all.

Norick Blödorn on the mechanics situation in Poland

However, the year wasn’t entirely without its challenges, as Norick was forced to make a number of changes to his pit crew in Poland: “That didn’t work at all. In terms of preparation, it wasn’t what I’d hoped for. I thought that with two full-time mechanics on board, I’d be able to go into the pits and concentrate on riding, but that wasn’t the case. With another mechanic, things worked out on the track, but the atmosphere was awful and we’d sit in the van for hours without saying a word. Compared to recent years, the whole mechanic situation hasn’t helped me progress. I’ve now found a mechanic who I get on with and who’s passionate about what he does. With Hermann Bacher, I also have a German mechanic on board who’s joined me from Martin Smolinski’s team. I’ve now built my team up in a way that works for me, and there’s a bit more peace and quiet again.”