Seven times Formula1 champion Michael Schumacher whose love of motorcycles is almost as big as his love for cars, got another chance to test ride two other superbikes at the newPortimao circuit; Troy Bayliss’s title winning Ducati and Noriyuki Haga’s Yamaha.
This extra riding experience adds to the one he’s already had on Carlo’s Checa Honda Ten Kate at Magny Cours race track just the other month.
Yesterday in damp conditions, Schumacher was lapping the Yamaha around 1′50″2, five seconds slower than Haga’s race pace, while on the Ducati he rode at 1′52″8.
Schumacher who has entered several races this year like the KTM Super Duke Trophy in Italy, the 8 hour endurance race at Oschersleben, and also rode in 3 German Superbike races as a wildcard, will remain in Portimao to build up his learning experience on a Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, which he’s expected to use to compete officially in the 2009 German IDM Superbike Championship.