A CHAT WITH LUKAS HOLLBACHER
Martigny (Switzerland) , 14 December 2023 – The year is almost endend, time to analisys
Lukas: “ I would like to tell you about my 2023 season. It was my fourth season together with the Italian team KTM MTR in the Supermoto World Championship. Our goal was to only race the Supermoto World Championship this year in order to focus to have the best possible response to the new regulation changes and the new racing bike. Since the cooperation and support with KTM has grown more and more over the last few years, this year we have once again taken a good step forward in motorcycle technology and the chassis with WP suspension. Racing bike KTM 450 SMR. I had a good preparation for the season, felt very physically fit and was ready for a World Championship season with six events. However, the start of the season was not so super. I had at the first GP week- end in Busca, Italy bad luck with the bike setup and couldn’t get a good feel for the bike and crashed a few times on the rainy race days. With places 4-9-4 and fourth place overall, it was my worst GP this season. My team and I worked on a new motorcycle concept together with KTM, which we used for the first time at the second Grand Prix in Sardinia. It showed a good upward trend with overall first place, also first place at GP of Bulgaria and once more on the top step of the podium at GP of Spain. Only at the GP of Germany, I lost points to the first place finisher with second place. So, being three points behind at the season final in Mettet, Belgium, I was in a good position to fight for the title. However, my opponent Marc Schmidt was very strong and consistent this weekend, I’m struggling a bit with nervousness and bad qualifying. Then a rear tire puncture in race 2 put a pretty big damper on my plans. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to snatch the title and became Vice World champion in the 2023 season. It was a very positive season with a good learning curve and important experiences with the new racing bike. Unfortunately, my back suffered damage and had a herniated disc in the last part of the season. I had to end the season in pain, which was very psychological and hit me very hard. After a few conversations I couldn’t avoid an operation. Unfortunately, there was a complication where the L4 and L5 nerves were injured. After almost complete plegia in my right leg at the beginning, I’ve regained a lot of strength after three weeks.
I’m currently at Gmundnerberg on rehab in order to achieve the best possible progress in my health. With that Vice World Champion and Motorsport Athlete of the Year (Austria), I can look back on a good sporting year in 2023.
I would like to thank my family and my sponsors without their support, I would not be able to do this. For sure I would like to thank also my former team KTM MTR even for 2024 the cooperation is terminated. For next seasom I want try something new, not sure yet which team I will work on, most important now for me is to get back to 100% fit and my plan is participate at S1GP Championship.”
In the photo: Lukas Hollbacher (C Philip Platzer)
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