After a short summer break, the SHR Motorsports by Hartje team returned to the traditional circuit “Auf der Wacht” in Gaildorf. With temperatures near 40 degrees, the weekend became a real test for people, machines, and team. In the usual lineup, Emil Weckman, Mike Stender, and Dawid Zaremba took the start.
Qualifying sessions were on the program already on Saturday. Emil and Mike each secured 13th place in their groups, earning the tickets for the following scoring runs. Dawid also found his rhythm toward the end of practice and finished 17th. In the first race of Saturday afternoon, Emil and Mike showed they could keep up very well. Emil finished 14th, while Mike produced a courageous ride with smart overtakes to finish an excellent 9th.
On Sunday, Dawid opened the race day. A blistering start propelled him directly into the top 10. However, an unfortunate bump from a rival sent him to the ground. From last place, Dawid fought his way impressively back to 22nd. In the second race there was initially a curious moment: the starting gate malfunctioned technically. After a short repair break, which Dawid used to take a quick drink in the heat, he again achieved a perfect start. With plenty of determination he advanced and narrowly missed the top 10 in 11th place. Happy but exhausted, Dawid ended the weekend on a positive note.
For our two MX1 riders, the start of the second race wasn’t perfect. Emil and Mike had to come from the back of the field, driven a small internal duel, and finally finished 16th and 17th respectively. In the last race of the weekend, the heat was almost unbearable. Yet both gave it their all again. A crash by Emil sent him far back, finishing only 28th. Mike changed his start tactic for the third race, which paid off in the result. Lying in 10th, he went into the race. A crash in the first lap ruined his good position. From last place, Mike pursued with great fighting spirit. With lap times in the top 10, he remained steady through the field and at one point overtook more than 20 riders during the race. A very impressive performance. Finishing 17th, his effort was also rewarded with important points for the championship standings.
Conclusion: Steffen Hünecke, Team Chief SHR Motorsports:
A weekend full of challenges, heat records, and valuable experiences for our team. Overall, we are seeing an upward trend across the year. With Emil, who is in his first season on the Yamaha YZ450F and continually shows that his full potential is far from tapped, and with Mike, who has long been part of our SHR Motorsports squad and again proves that it’s possible to compete in Europe’s top Motocross league as a full-time worker through good planning, hard work, and extensive experience. Thanks to everyone who contributes every race weekend so we can perform at such a high level as a team. A big thank you also to our sponsor “Fahrzeugpflege Schmidt,” who stepped in as mechanic this weekend. Such support shows me that we have built a strong team around the active participants over time. We were also pleased with the visit of Suter Industries from Switzerland and N10Z from Austria, both providing top-level technical know-how. In three weeks, the second-to-last round of the ADAC MX Masters awaits us, this time in France. For us, a completely new challenge, as this track is entirely unfamiliar. The team looks forward with motivation and is ready to strike again.
