There will be at least twenty-four riders on the starting grid for next year's Superbike World Championship as the Orelac Racing VerdNatura team has just announced that it is entering a Kawasaki for Maximilian Scheib.
It was at MotorLand Aragón that the WSBK paddock discovered this native (July 2018, 24) of Santiago, Chile, in mid-April 1995. He drove an Aprilia RSV1000 RF in the European Superstock 4 Championship category on behalf of the official Aprilia Racing Team, with Luca Vitali as his teammate.
The young Chilean, aged 22 and new to the circuit, placed fourth in a race won by Markus Reiterberger who drove a BMW S 1000 RR entered by alpha Racing–Van Zon–BMW.
In the next five races, Scheib reached the podium five times, finishing second at Assen, third at Imola, second at Donington and second at Misano, but above all a magnificent winner at Brno. In the Czech Republic, he managed to win in the wet ahead of Alessandro Delbianco (on Althea BMW) and Florian Marino (Yamaha), while Reiterberger placed fourth.
All of these performances earned the South American rookie third place in the final ranking behind Reiterberger and Tamburini.
The Superstock 1000 category not participating in the final event of the 2018 calendar in Qatar, he was able to have at Doha an MV Agusta 1000 F4 entered by the MV Agusta Reparto Corse whose titular driver Jordi Torres had to forfeit.
Scheib qualified seventeenth with a machine that he discovered was much too heavy, on a Losail circuit new to him. In Race 1, he retired at his stand due to a technical problem. In Race 2, it was a deluge, hence this statement from the Race Direction: “Following the World Supersport race, the Safety Commission (made up of the FIM, the WSBK organization and the SBK riders) met. Following an increase in standing water, and taking into account the differences in power and tires of the WorldSBK and WorldSSP bikes, this led us to decide that holding a race would not take place in completely safe conditions. . » Scheib's experience in World Superbike is therefore limited to 8 rounds.
But many had noticed his talent in Stock 1000, and that's why the Orelac team decided to give him his chance in SBK next year on a Kawasaki. “ It's a dream come true, Scheib said, to the point that it is difficult to realize that it is true. I thank the team for thinking of me and trusting in my talent. I am very excited about this adventure and I want to start now and as soon as possible. »
“It will be a year without pressure, but clearly I have my expectations, I want to start calmly but work hard during pre-season. I don't know Phillip Island and I know my opponents will be very strong there and in Qatar, but when I am in Europe I will be able to show my qualities. »
In 2019, the Chilean rider did not find a place in the World Championship, and so he participated in the ESBK, the Spanish Superbike championship, which he won on Kawasaki. In 2020, he will take the place of another South American, the Argentinian Leandro Mercado who finished sixteenth this year, one point behind fifteenth Eugene Laverty.
For the team manager José Calero : “This year we will start with a lot of enthusiasm and knowing that it will be very beautiful, both for the experience that we can provide, and for the part in which, to be honest, we must recognize that we like to continue in the Championship, since we have been part of it for several years. » When we talk about Scheib, Calero exults : “I am very happy to have Maxi in our team, he is a young driver but with a lot of talent and enthusiasm and who will be good in the face of this new challenge presented to us in 2020.” We look forward to having fun, facing this stage in the best possible way and making every moment fulfill us. Our objective will be to go there gradually, because we have a young driver who can develop a lot and give us great joy. »
Alessandro Delbianco, Maximilian Scheib and Florian Marino
Photos © Piaggio Group
