Jed Metcher splits with Wilbers BMW Superbike team
By Marty Thompson
Talented Australian road racer Jed Metcher has announced he is splitting with his Dutch Wilbers BMW Superbike team and returning to Australia.
Jed travelled over to Europe after the World Superbikes at Phillip Island in February to compete in the 2016 German Superbike championship.
Jed had high hopes that he was heading to a competitive team who would give him a strong chance of gaining competitive results for 2016.
However, upon speaking with Jed, it appears that as with many Australians who head overseas of late, all has not been what it appeared to be on the surface.
When asked what happened, Jed mapped out how it all started to fall apart and what prompted the final decision.
“Recently the Wilbers team ended there association with a BMW team in Germany, which was the catalyst. All of a sudden I was under a lot of pressure to not have any crashes in testing, which I thought was a little strange at the time, but I just brushed it off as a concerned team owner”
Obviously though, all was not well within team Wilbers, perhaps hinting at some financial instability. Jed explained how the 10-day test with the Dunlop factory test team brought things to a head.
“We started the 10-day test with the Dunlop factory test team, where we were testing all the prototype products, and on day 7 and day 8, I had crashes. The team boss then stopped the test and three days later fired me. He then signed a Belgian rider the next day. I had been warned that this was typical of how this team operated, but I believed if I was fast and professional that things would be fine. Turned out those two things were not enough.”
While Jed is obviously disappointed in the outcome of this, it has opened the door to continue his association with Race Center back here in Australia.
“Race Center is now in it’s third year of operation, but has been developing behind the scenes through Darren Scibberas (Principal) for quite a while. My role will be developing the company both on and off track.”
Asked if Jed would be continuing to race domestically he stated.
“2016 will be mainly business focussed, but we are hoping to start an Australian SuperBike title chase in 2017. Race Center is growing at a rapid rate at the moment so the manpower is really needed to ensure we can produce the quality that professional racers get, to every one of our customers. Our involvement with the Yamaha R3 Cup has been an exciting venture and one which I cannot wait to sink my teeth into. I have a passion for guiding the Juniors and newer up and coming riders, so this opportunity suits me very well.”
