26-11-2009
FIM Ride Green International Eco Enduro:
Robbin Harms kører i København
Danmarks bedste Road Racing kører, Robbin Harms, er nu blandt deltagerne i FIM Ride Green Eco Enduro med finale på Svanemøllens Kasserne i København d. 13. december.

Robbin Harms har gennem en årrække deltaget og opnået topplaceringer i MotoGP verdensmesterskabet og i de seneste år i det prestigefyldte Supersport 600 cc VM. Hér har danskeren bl.a. være på podiet. I FIM Ride Green Eco Enduro bliver det en ganske anden udfordring, Harms stilles overfor.

I verdens første internationale Enduro motorløb for nul-forurenende elektriske motorcykler skal Robbin Harms ikke blot vænne sig til, at køre løb ude i terræn’et, dels på Ivan Reedtz-Thotts ejendom, Topcamp Feddet, dels i Faxe Kalkbrud og i Klinteskoven på Møn. Han skal også lære, at håndtere en elektrisk Quantya konkurrence motorcykel. Og det sker i hård konkurrence med nogle af verdens bedste i cross-country rally, motocross og enduro.

”Det bliver en helt anden, men en utrolig spændende oplevelse,” siger Robbin Harms med store forventninger i stemmen. ”Jeg har trænet en del på motocross motorcykler, men har aldrig kørt et enduro. At få lejlighed til at køre imod verdensstjerner som den 5-dobbelte motocross verdensmester, Joël Smets og den tidligere cross-country verdensmester og topkører i Dakar-rallyet, Pål Anders Ullevålseter, er helt unikt.”

De bedste chancer har Robbin Harms formentlig på Svanemøllens Kasserne, hvor der etableres en såkaldt Super Moto racerbane og der alene køres på asfalt. Måske kan Harms erfaring fra de store internationale asfaltracerbaner komme ham til gode.

”Måske, men det bliver nu alligevel helt anderledes, ” siger Robbin Harms. ”Motorcyklerne er ikke road-racing maskiner, men derimod cross-maskiner og vi skal formentlig køre på asfalt på cross-dæk. Da motorcyklerne er elektriske, bliver det heftigt nok at prøve dem på en kort asfalt bane, hvor deres hurtige acceleration vil komme til nytte. Det bliver ret sjovt, tror jeg.”

Det er i øvrigt første i gang i 10 år, at den nu 28 årige dansker kører løb i Danmark og det bliver i sig selv en oplevelse for de mange danske fans, som ellers valfarter til udlandet for at følge deres helt.

”Jeg synes, at man med FIM Ride Green Eco Enduro viser vejen og ikke mindst omverdenen, at vi indenfor motorsporten tager klimaproblematikken alvorligt. Endnu er teknikken ikke så udviklet, at man kan benytte el-drift til road racing, ikke for alvor i hvert fald, men i den type af motorcykelløb, der bliver tale om i december, går det fint,” siger Robbin Harms, der siden projektets start har været blandt de udvalgte ambassadører for det unikke racerløb.

Yderligere information om International Eco Enduro på www.ecoenduro.com.

22-10-2009
No finale for Robbin Harms
At the12th. Round at Imola in Italy Robbin crashed hard because of a technical failure in his engine and suffered several injuries on his ligaments, ribs, back and neck. The doctors advise the Dane to stay home and prepare for next year.

That means the season is finished for Harms who started the season with a fifth place in Qatar. Unfortunately the rest of the season has been hunted by technical problems that have made it difficult for Robbin to take points.

Robbin.
It is hard not to ride in Portimao, but I have to listen to my body that screams for a break. This season has been tough but I have kept fighting and kept my focus, no matter how many problems we have had.
At this moment the most important is to get my body strong again and prepare for next year.

I like to thank my team Team Veidec for 2009 and wish them the best in the future.

27-09-2009
Robbin crashes in Imola
The RES Software Veidec Racing Team competed the twelfth round of the World Supersport Championship at Imola with just one rider. Robbin Harms crashed during the warm-up session on Sunday morning and had to go for a check-up at hospital.

The crash of RES Software Veidec Racing Team rider Robbin Harms happened after just 3 laps in the morning warm-up session. The Danish rider fell on his head, and the doctors in the medical centre confirmed he had been concussed. Robbin then went to the hospital in Imola for a full check up because he couldn’t remember anything from the last couple of days. However, apart from the concussion and some bruises, no further injuries were found. It is not sure if he will ride at Magny-Cours next week.

Milan Milovanovic, Teamowner:
“This weekend is a one that is best quickly forgotten. It didn’t go as we planned and we had a lot of bad luck here in Italy. Starting with three riders and then finally entering the race with only one is very disappointing!

06-09-2009
Top ten for Robbin at Nurburg!
In the eleventh World Supersport race of the 2009 season, RES Software Veidec Racing Team rider Robbin Harms fought his Honda into top ten, after starting from 13th position and finished the race at the Nürburgring 9th.

Harms had a strong start at the German track was in seventh position after just one lap. The Danish rider challenged in the first laps and climbed up to fifth place but he couldn’t keep the pace and finished the race, which was won by Cal Crutchlow, 9th.

Milan Milovanovic, teamowner:
“I am very happy with Robbin’s result today, cause it wasn’t an easy weekend and he managed to reach the top ten goal we set before. We had bad luck in the last races, so he lost some race rhythm, otherwise he might have scored even a better result.

Robbin Harms, 9th place:
“I managed a good start and was able to stay with some fast guys in the beginning of the race. After seven laps I had to let them go because we are not at the level yet to keep this pace during the whole race. Important is that after six races without points, I got back my trust and feeling back with the bike and this was a good start of it. After a difficult warm-up session, the result was better then I expected and my team really did a good job this weekend. The bike felt good and also my new engine worked well.”

26-07-2009
Brno race
RES Software Veidec Racing Team Robbin Harms crashed when he was riding in 10th position.

Luck was not on the side of Robbin Harms, who crashed in the sixth lap when he lost the front. Harms was riding on a good 10th place, but asked to much from his Honda CBR600RR.

Milan Milovanovic, Teamowner:
We are doing all we can to bring Robbin back into top ten and when he is not able to finish the race is a shame. But I believe we will come back. Arie made good improvements this weekend, but the result wasn’t what we expected. We will work hard to be competitive again at the Nürburgring next race.”

Robbin Harms DNF:
“Today I really had to push hard to be competitive with my bike. Every lap I was riding on the limit because I wanted to finish this race into top ten. In the sixth lap I was pushing to hard and then I lost the front. This is really a shame because after the good test I looked forward to this weekend and then we were struggling with a lack of power. My whole team worked very hard to get the best out of it and everybody did a good job but the bike needs to be faster.”

27-06-2009
Donington race
RES Software Veidec Racing Team rider Arie Vos got close to his second points-scoring race of the 2009 World Supersport season. Unfortunately, Robbin Harms and didn’t finish the race, as both were forced to retire with technical problems on their bikes.

Robbin Harms also had a very difficult weekend. His team finally found a perfect race set-up and, starting from 21st position, the fast rider from Denmark was soon on his way to the front to score some good points. But after six laps Robbin’s engine also gave up and he had to park his Honda next to the track.

Milan Milovanovic, Team owner:
“We made good progress this weekend at Donington Park, but unfortunately we had bad luck on our side with our other two riders, Robbin and Jesco. It took us three practice sessions to find the right setting for Robbin’s bike, and after the warm-up we made the right changes and had a competitive machine, but then his engine broke in the race and we still have no idea how what happened.

Robbin Harms, DNF:
“I had a tough weekend and we were really struggling to find the right set-up. After the warm-up we found the problem and my team provided me with a very good racing bike, which was very positive. I started the race a little carefully from 21st position and I was even riding down in 25th position after the start, but as soon I noticed that everything worked perfectly I started to push, got into a fast rhythm and moved up to 11th place. I really felt comfortable on the bike and the race went well – until the moment my engine broke. It is unbelievable that the machine just stopped, and I am naturally very disappointed about that, but I am happy that I have back a good racing bike back again.”

21-06-2009
Misano race
Danish rider Harms was climbing up from the 17th place on the grid to15th spot, but after four laps he had problems with his engine and couldn’t continue his way to the front. The race was red flagged when there was oil at the track after eight laps; three riders crashed at the same corner. Arie Vos was the only RES Software Veidec Racing Team rider who was allowed to restart the race. Still 14 laps remained in the second part of the race.

Milan Milovanovic, Team owner:
When everything looks so good, it is really a pity that he had to stop the race due a technical problem. Unfortunately we didn’t had a good weekend with Robbin. We were not able to test the new electronics and it is a pity that things did not worked out as we hoped for. I hope we can make this up in Donington.”

Robbin Harms, DNF
“Our expectations for the weekend have been high because we started with a new engine and a new steering system, which should have improved the pace. We know that it is a process and that it takes time to develop it well, but didn’t expect that many problems; I have used three different engines this weekend… During the race I had a good feeling with the bike but on the fifth lap I could see that the engine was extremely hot and therefore I was obliged to go into the pit. I am very disappointed about that. Some of the technical things worked well, which is good for the future and I am sure that the team will make progress.”

31-05-2009
USA race
In the seventh round of the World Supersport Championship at Miller Motorsports Park, RES Software Veidec Racing team rider Robbin Harms was back on the pace and rode in the top 12 until the last few corners of the 18-lap race. Harms’ bike had a problem with the fuel pump which stopped him almost within sight of the finish

Milan Milovanovic, Teamowner:
“Our weekend at Miller Motorsports Park went quite well. We made good improvements and I am happy to have a full complement of riders again! It is positive that Robbin was able to ride the whole weekend and on a good pace, but his bike’s problem on the final lap was real a shame.

Robbin Harms, DNF
“ Today was really tough. I was fighting very hard to keep the pace and moved up to the 8th place. I managed to keep pushing for 8 laps, but then I started to lose energy as the pain from my broken collarbone came back; the last laps in particular were extremely hard for me. My body was completely finished but it was a technical problem that actually ended the race. I am very sad about this because the whole weekend went well. My bike was good and my team did a very good job. I would like to thank them for that and I am now looking forward to the Misano race.”

11-05-2009
Monza race
Robbin Harms missed the fifth round of the World Supersport Championship at Monza after breaking his collarbone in a spectacular accident during free practice.

Harms was on his first flying lap aboard the Veidec Honda when he was launched into a vicious high-side, the Dane landing heavily and breaking his collarbone as a result. Taken to hospital, Harms is set to undergo surgery this weekend, and was allready operated saturday afternoon with great help from the Clinica Mobile.

It isn't the first time Harms has suffered a mammoth accident at Monza after he crashed during the race in 2007 when riding for Stiggy Honda, an incident that has since been viewed more than 55,000 times on YouTube

Robbin Harms came back to Monza after surgery on his collarbone in Imola. The Danish rider, who had crashed during the first practice session of Monza is not going to be ready for South Africa, but he will be ready the 31 of May in Salt lake city.

“I had my surgery on Saturday at 2pm and it took more then two hours, but everything went well. The doctors put a plate on my fracture and I don’t have much pain anymore. Because of the surgery the muscles in my neck and shoulder have shortened, and I feel very stiff now. It can take up to a few months before this gets back to normal, but I am working on it already! As for the crash, I am not sure what happened, and the bike doesn’t show any signs of technical failure. In a moment my back tyre slipped away and the bike had a huge highside. It happened really quickly and I didn’t even have time to react to prepare for the fall. I am happy that the surgery went well and fast!”

26-04-2009
Robbin Harms i top 10 trods
manglende motor power.
Trods manglende motor power, fightede Danmarks bedste Road Racing kører, Robbin Harms sig til en flot 9. plads i 4. afdeling af det præstigefyldte Supersport verdensmesterskab.

’’Jeg havde håbet på et bedre resultat, men jeg gav alt hvad jeg havde i mig, og er tilfreds med min indsats. Det var et hårdt løb, men jeg var med fremme, og viser at jeg har tempoet, men vi mangler lidt mere power’’ fortæller en træt Robbin Harms.

Robbin Harms, der havde kvalificeret sig til start position 9. kom godt fra start, og lå helt fremme med fører gruppen helt inde i 12. omgang, inden Robbin Harms langsomt måtte slippe de forreste.

’’Når jeg pressede motorcyklen til grænsen, kunne jeg alligevel kun følge med, men ikke avancere i feltet’’ forklarer Robbin Harms. ’’Vi mangler 5‐10% mere power, så er vi der. Følge med er ikke godt nok, vi skal overhale’’.

Weekenden i Holland var ellers speciel for Veidec Racing Team, fordi Teamet netop, er fra Holland. Alligevel måtte det Hollandske Team, kæmpe hårdt gennem weekenden, for at få den helt rigtige opsætning af deres Honda CBR600RR.

’’Jeg er meget tilfreds med teamets indsats i weekenden, vi havde store problemer i starten, men jeg forsøger at give god feedback til temaet, og de forstår at arbejde med den. Så vi bliver ved med og udvikle cyklen’’. Fortæller Robbin Harms, der i

Supersport VM Bla.a bliver støttet af MC‐Hjørnet i København. Næste afdeling af Supersport verdensmesterskabet finder sted i Monza, Italien d. 10. Maj. En bane Robbin Harms har gode erfaringer fra, med sin 2. plads i 2006.

Resultat, 4. afdeling af Supersport VM, 26. april 2009, Assen, Holland.
1. E. Laverty (IRL) Honda CBR600RR (35’45.160)
2. C. Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 (0.107)
3. J. Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R (0.178)
4. F. Foret (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 (1.777)
5. K. Sofuoglu (TUR) Honda CBR600RR (1.901)
6. M. Aitchison Honda CBR600RR (5.492)

Flot fight efterlod Robbin Harms på 9. pladsen i søndagens 4. afdeling af
Supersport VM i Assen, Holland.

Milan Milovanovic, teamowner
“It was a tough race but Robbin did a good job by finishing in 9th place. The overall feeling about this weekend is positive, however. I think we made some important improvements on the bike and of course the whole atmosphere for this home race made the weekend really special.”

Robbin Harms, 9th, 1’41.566
“Today I did everything I could to get the maximum out of the bike and the 9th position I scored was the best I could do. I pushed very hard, but the problem was that I could only follow other riders, and I just didn’t have enough pace and power to overtake them. I hoped for a better result, but that was just not possible today. That’s why I am satisfied with what we have achieved. My team did a good job this weekend and I am happy with the communication and spirit we have.”

05-04-2009
12th place in Valencia
At the third round of the World Supersport Championship, RES Software Veidec Racing Team rider Robbin Harms scored 12th place. Just before the riders went out onto the track, a shower of rain made the track slippery.

Milan Milovanovic, teamowner
“Looking at the weekend as a whole, we have made some good progress, but unfortunately the race wasn’t as good as we expected it would be. Robbin almost made it into the top ten, but he was feeling unhappy with the feel of his bike during the race, so we have to find out what the problem was.

Robbin Harms, 12th place
“The weekend went well overall, but the race was not so good. I started steadily because of a lack of grip, but when I tried to push harder I had problems with my bike’s handling. I tried the whole race to push as hard as possible but I just wasn’t able to keep up with the riders who passed me. We will have to strip the bike down to see if there is a problem. I am happy with the points I scored and with the progress we’ve made this weekend, and I would like to thank my team for that. We shall take this with us to Assen, a track I really like, and I will battle for a top-ten position there!”

05-04-2009
Årets trejde afdeling af Supersport-VM gik ikke som planlagt for Robbin Harms. På grund af et bagdæk ude af balance kunne det kun blive til en 12.-plads.
En dækfejl efterlod Robbin Harms på 12.-pladsen i søndagens 3. afdeling af Supersport VM i Valencia.

Et bagdæk helt ude af balance fratog Robbin Harms enhver mulighed for at opnå et topresultat i weekendens tredje afdeling af Supersport-VM. Alligevel formåede danskeren at komme i mål på 12.-pladsen.

- Det var intet mindre end sort uheld, fortæller Robbin Harms.

- Først flere timer efter løbet fandt vi frem til, at bagdækket havde flyttet sig på fælgen. Under løbet kunne jeg ikke forstå, hvad det var, der ikke fungerede, men jeg havde ingen mulighed for at sætte tempoet i vejret, når jeg ville.

Efter 5.-pladsen forleden i Qatar havde danskeren på forhånd stilet imod et endnu bedre resultat, da Supersport-VM i weekenden flyttede til det første af en stribe europæiske VM-løb. Man lagde søndag ud i
Valencia i Spanien og under den indledende træning og kvalifikation gjorde teamet stadige fremskridt. Da startopstillingen var fastlagt, holdt Harms i 10. startposition – noget der ikke skræmmer den hurtige
københavner, der ofte har kørt sig fra startpositioner midt i feltet til topresultater.

- 20 minutter inden starten begyndte det dog at regne. Løbsledelsen udsatte starten en smule, fordi regnen holdt op igen, men de første omgange på våd bane var noget af en udfordring, forklarer Robbin Harms.

- Vi valgte som de andre at starte på næsten mønsterløse dæk, og derfor var det utrolig svært at fornemme, hvor skridgrænsen var, og jeg ville under ingen omstændigheder styrte. Jeg kom fornuftigt igennem de første
omgange og befandt mig stort set samme sted i feltet, som jeg var startet ud fra. Da banen så var ved at være parat til et højere tempo, satte jeg farten i vejret.

- Men det viste sig at være en helt umulig opgave, siger Robbin Harms.

- Ligeså snart jeg forsøgte at give gas, oplevede jeg kraftige vibrationer i cyklen ind i kurverne, og ud af kurverne skred bagenden med det samme, så jeg havde virkelig svært ved at gøre noget som helst.

Robbin Harms lod sig næsten i bogstaveligste forstand transportere til målstregen. Under sådanne kørselsforhold er en 12.-plads et ganske respektabelt resultat.

- Det var selvfølgelig ærgerligt, at resultatet ikke stod mål med vores forventninger, fortsætter Robbin Harms.

- Men vi var igennem en god proces i løbet af weekenden. Jeg ville da gerne have været med helt fremme, men efter omstændighederne var weekenden o.k. Vi har lært meget og ser frem til det næste løb
på Assen-banen i Holland med store forventninger.

Netop banen i Assen er en af Robbin Harms favoritbaner, og den er hjemmebane for det nye hollandske Veidec-team, som Harms kører for i år. Et godt resultat kræver fortsat, at motorcyklen bliver rigtig sat op – og selvom teamet ikke har konkrete data om motorcyklen på netop Assen-banen, er lokalkendskabet af stor betydning. Lykkes forberedelsesarbejdet efter hensigten, og opfører dækkene sig som de skal, er der alle muligheder for en rigtig god præstation.

Resultat, 3. afdeling af Supersport-VM, 5. april 2009, Valencia, Spanien.

1 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 38'15.613 (144,456 kph)
2 West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 0.171
3 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 8.408
4 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 12.421
5 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 16.529
6 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 19.242

Arie Vos ended the eighteen lap counting race on the seventeenth position, while Jesco Günter crashed after a strong start of the race. After a bad start the German found his way more and more to the front and he was riding for championship points for a long time.

Milan Milovanovic, teamowner
“This is a great result for the team. All riders made good progress during the whole weekend and of course it is fantastic when you can finish this race weekend in Qatar with a top 5 position. This is a great reward and a good motivation for the whole team. Also Jesco showed that he is a good rider. Unfortunately he couldn’t get any points for his strong performance but these things happen in racing. Arie can also look back to a good race weekend. I am sure that he will battle for a top fifteen position in the upcoming races.”

Robbin Harms, 5th place
“I am more then happy with my result. We had to start from the beginning on again this weekend and we made some big changes. Thanks to my crew I felt stronger every lap during the practices and they gave me a perfect prepared Honda CBR 600RR. My start was good and I was able to follow the front guys. I tried to keep my head cool during the whole race and because my bike wasn’t the strongest one of the field, I didn’t took any unnecessary risks. However, I am here to get a good result. Because of my team I was able to take that fifth place. The way they build up the weekend was great. When we work like this the whole season, I am sure that we are going to take more top five positions.”

2. VM-afdeling fandt sted lørdag formiddag, dansk tid, på den moderne Losail Grand Prix bane i ørkenstaten Qatar. Banen stiller store krav til topfart og rigtig opsætning af motorcyklen – et faktum, der på forhånd havde gjort Harms lidt tvivlende overfor et godt resultat.

”Efter sæsonstarten på Philip Island i Australien havde vi oven i købet fået ny ”affjedringsmand”, som først skulle vænne sig til samarbejdet i teamet,” fortæller Robbin Harms. ”Men det hele fungerede utrolig godt og vi fandt en perfekt opsætning af motorcyklen, som gjorde, at jeg igen kunne opleve motorcyklen som et stykke legetøj i stedet for en fjende, der ikke vil køre stærkt med mig.”

”Jeg kvalificerede mig til start fra 8. pladsen og var med det samme med fremme. Jeg nåede helt op på 4. pladsen, men savnede lidt power i motoren, så jeg kunne holde kontakt med førergruppen. Jeg mistede omkring et halvt sekund ned af langsiden og det måtte jeg på hver omgang forsøge at køre ind på den snoede del af banen. En femteplads i mål, bare fem sekunder efter vinderen, er et kanon resultat,” siger en glad Robbin Harms, der i Supersport VM bl.a. støttes af MC-Hjørnet i København.

”Vigtigt er det også, at vi har været igennem en god proces i teamet. Det betyder at jeg ser frem med store forventninger til de kommende løb,” siger Robbin Harms.

Næste afdeling af Supersport verdensmesterskabet finder sted i Valencia i Spanien d. 5. april. Det er en bane, der ligesom Losail kræver den rigtige opsætning af motorcyklen og masser af motorkraft ned af langsiden.

”Jeg har det sådan med Valencia, at den ikke er min favoritbane, men hvis motorcyklen er rigtig sat op, er banen også rigtig sjov at køre,” slutter Robbin Harms.

Resultat, 2. afdeling af Supersport VM, 14. marts 2009, Losail, Qatar.

1. E. Laverty (IRL), Honda CBR600RR, 37m06,285s
2. A. Pitt (AUS), Honda CBR600RR, +0,063s
3. C. Crutchlow (GBR), Yamaha YZF R6, +0,625s
4. K. Sofuoglo (TUR), Honda CBR600RR, +0,711s
5. R. Harms (DEN), Honda CBR600RR, +5,200s
6. M. Lagrive (FRA), Honda CBR600RR, +5,233s

The RES Software Veidec Racing Team riders showed already during the free practice in the morning that the changes they made on the bike worked out well. All three riders improved their laptimes from the first day. The last qualifying session, which was ridden under very warm conditions, went well for Robbin Harms and he even seemed to qualify on the first starting row. At the end of an exciting session – the laptimes from the fourth till the fifteenth fastest riders were all very close – his fastest time (2’02.592) was enough for a place on the second startingrow. Both Jesco Günther and Arie Vos, were able to improve their fastest time a lot. They will start respectively from the 21th and 23th place on the startinggrid during the race on Saturday.

‘I am very satisfied about my place on the second startingrow. My team worked hard and because of that we were able to reach this result. I wasn’t fit at all when I woke up this morning. I felt a little better during the day, but in the second part of the qualifying session I didn’t had any energy left. I wasn’t able to improve my laptime anymore and then I felt back to the eight position. A big thanks to my mechanics, because they gave me a fantastic bike today.”

Milan Milovanovic, teamowner
“I think we made some good progress today. The whole team worked hard to find the right settings and we put the main focus on getting the bikes’ suspension optimised. All three riders improved during the day and if we keep on fettling the bikes, then I am confident about making even greater steps forward tomorrow.”

Robbin Harms, 13th, 2’03.405
“The track was really dirty this morning, but everybody suffered from the same problem. After the last round in Phillip Island, we made a completely new start here and totally changed the suspension; this worked out very well from the beginning. Although there are still a few things we have to change, I have a good feeling about the first day of practice on the Losail track. If we are able to do some more fine tuning this evening, I am confident about even better results tomorrow.”

Milan Milovanovic, team owner
“The first race weekend of the year is done, but I can’t say this was the happiest start for us. Robbin almost crashed during the race, because another rider touched his bike and so he totally felt back. After just four laps, his chances for a good result were gone. One point because of Robbin his 15th position was the best we could do today. Although we had bad luck this weekend, we also noticed a lot of positive things and we have to take those with us to the upcoming race.”

Robbin Harms, 15th:
“I am very disappointed. At the beginning of the race it went very well and I felt strong. I am sure that a top ten position was possible. But in the fourth or fifth lap Praia touched me and I couldn’t stay on the track. I had to restart the race in the back of the field. I still don’t know how I managed to stay on the bike because you can see Praia his prints on the back of my machine. A 15th place was not what I hoped for, but if I look at the circumstances I can say that this was the best I could today. I really wanted to give the team a better result and more points. Although this first race didn’t gave us the result we wanted, and we still have to work hard on the bike, I am positive about the upcoming race in Qatar. The Honda CBR600RR is a good machine, the teamwork is good and without the bad luck we had, we can definitely fight for a top ten position.”

”Det ændrer ikke på, at det helt klart var en stor skuffelse,” fortæller Robbin Harms. ”Jeg havde store forventninger om, at slutte i top-5, efter at vi under træningen havde opnået 11. bedste startposition, men på 3. omgang var det som om en abe på 200 kg sprang op på ryggen af mig. Egentlig er jeg vildt overrasket over, at jeg formåede at blive på hjulene og det var det, der betød, at jeg overhovedet nåede målet.”

Grand Prix’et på Philip Island syd for Melbourne i Australien var første afdeling af Supersport verdensmesterskabet. For Robbin Harms var der tale om debut i og for et helt nyt team, skabt til ham og bygget op omkring ham.

”Man føler sig lidt som Bambi på glatis, med nye folk, som ikke er vant til at samarbejde med hinanden og uden data fra de foregående år, men det var vi naturligvis forberedt på. Derfor var en startposition i 3. startrække helt tilfredsstillende. Jeg er faktisk rigtig imponeret af teamet. Vi har været igennem en god proces. Et godt eksempel er, at vi weekenden igennem havde svært ved at få tilstrækkelig greb på baghjulet af motorcyklen, så jeg kunne accelerere kraftigt ud af svingene. Vi har klart fået defineret problemet og vil siden kunne arbejde målrettet på at få det løst, det fungerer meget professionelt,” siger Robbin Harms, der i Supersport VM bakkes op af MC-Hjørnet i København.

Næste udfordring er 2. VM-afdeling, der finder sted i ørkenstaten Qatar d. 14. marts.

”Der skal ikke være nogen tvivl om, at jeg hver gang kører efter sejren,” fastslår Robbin Harms, der ved flere lejligheder har været så højt som 2. pladsen i Supersport VM-løbene. ”Men netop i Qatar vil en top-3 placering være helt urealistisk. Et top-resultat i Qatar kræver en helt igennem perfekt motorcykel og dertil tror jeg ikke vi når. Men en top-10 placering er bestemt indenfor rækkevidde.”

Resultat, Supersport VM, 1. afd., 1. marts 2009, Philip Island, Australien:

1. K. Sufuoglo (TUR), Honda CBR600RR, 33m42,156s
2. A. Pitt (AUS), Honda CBR600RR, +0,060s
3. A. West (AUS), Honda CBR600RR, +0,153s
4. C. Crutchlow (GBR), Yamaha YZF R6, +1,097s
5. E. Laverty (IRL), Honda CBR600RR, +1,098s
6. M. Aitchison (AUS), Honda CBR600RR, +3,631s
15. R. Harms (DEN), Honda CBR600RR, +29,707s

Oven på en uheldig 2008-sæson stiller Robbin Harms nu skarpt på fremtiden. I 2009 skal den 27-årige dansker fortsat deltage i Supersport-VM, men det bliver for Veidec Honda-teamet, et team, der med den erfarne svensker Milan Milovanovic i spidsen skal forsøge at sikre Robbin Harms en top 3-placering i VM. Det var også målet for 2008, men det blev ikke nået af en række forskellige årsager, ikke mindst af teknisk art.

- Selv ser jeg teamskiftet som en ny mulighed for at nå helt til tops, siger Robbin Harms.

- Alle hos Veidec Honda brænder for at få mig frem. Jeg kan simpelthen ikke få bedre opbakning end den, Milovanovic tilbyder. Det er et kanon teamskifte for mig – og ingen behøver at blive skuffet, jeg vil gøre alt for at leve op til forventningerne. Teamet har en meget stærk teknisk pakke, de har fabriksstøtte og en årelang erfaring indenfor gamet. Jeg ser virkelig frem til at arbejde med nye mennesker, nye udfordringer og skabe nye muligheder.

Veidec Honda-teamet er oprindelig hollandsk, og det består af folk fra bl.a. Italien, Holland, Sverige og Belgien. Milovanovic selv har seks års erfaring som teamchef, hvoraf de sidste fire er i Supersport-VM.

- Jeg har kendt Robbin i flere år, og for blot få uger siden drøftede han og jeg, hvad der ville give ham de bedste muligheder i 2009, fortæller Mila Milovanovic.

- På det tidspunkt havde jeg ingen anelse om, at det skulle lykkes for mig at sammensætte et superteam for Robbin. At det siden har kunnet ladet sig gøre, er helt fantastisk og for teamet og mig en stor udfordring. Vi har besluttet os for, at vi skal lykkes, siger Milovanovic.

Første løb i 2009 køres på Phillip Island i Australien den 1. marts, men inden har Veidec Honda-teamet gennemført et intensivt testprogram, så udgangspunktet for det nye samarbejde er det bedst mulige.

- Vi er fuldstændig klar over, at selv om top 3 i VM er vores sæson-mål, så vil den første del af sæsonen mest handle om at spore os helt ind på hinanden. I den fase sigter vi mod top 5-placeringer, og de skal siden forvandles til podieplaceringer, fastslår Robbin Harms forventningsfuldt.