Jed Metcher to FIM STK 1000 on EAB Ducati Panigale R | By Russell Colvin
2011 FIM European Superstock 600 champion Jed Metcher will line up on the grid at the final two rounds of this year’s FIM Superstock 1000 championship for the Dutch based EAB Racing Team, alongside Italian rider Fabio Massei, who currently lies in fifth position in the championship.
Metcher hosted a fundraiser on the 15th of August and by auctioned off memorabilia including signed photos, helmets and even AFL football players boots and jerseys.
A few stars were on hand to help auction off the goods such as Cameron Donald, Lukey Luke and Essendon AFL player Michael Hurley.
The money raised has gone towards helping to get the young 24-year-old back over to Europe to contest the final two FIM Superstock 1000 Championship rounds at Jerez in Spain on the first weekend of September, and then on to Magny Cours in France. This is where Metcher nailed his first international round win, winning the final round of the European Superstock 600 championship while racing as a wildcard rider for MTM-RT Motorsports Team in 2010.
With regard to the ‘big bikes’, Jed Metcher has ridden most of them but only raced the Honda CBR 1000RR when he rode for RT Motorsports in the 2010 IDM Superbike championship, before going to the Yamaha R6 he rode in the 2011 European Superstock 600 championship and the 2012 World Supersport championship. In 2013 Metcher rode the Suzuki GSXR-600 in the IDM Supersport Championship when he raced for Team Suzuki Mayer. This year he has been racing and developing a Kawasaki ZX-10R in Australia with a view to competing in Europe in 2015. Metcher has never raced a Ducati 1199 Panigale R, however he has ridden a road going version at Misano in 2012 when the machine was first released.
“I felt like the street Panigale had a lot of potential in the chassis as it handled well, despite the fact it was sprung soft,” Jed Metcher explained. “The level of technology involved in adjusting the suspension, ABS and traction control is incredible for a road going motorbike. I did feel like the power delivery was a little aggressive in the middle of the turn which always makes bikes good fun, but tough to tame.”
“I would like to thank Ferry Schoenmakers and Manuel Cappeletti for the opportunity to compete in a professional team next month.”
While Metcher has never raced at Jerez, he has tested there twice. Both times were extensive three-day tests. His goal is to finish in the top five and is eyeing off a podium position at Magny Cours.
Closer to home, this year Metcher has teamed up with Race Center running the Batteries North Superbike. The goal of the project is to develop a bike for a wildcard appearance into next year’s Australian round of the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island. More testing is in place for Metcher and the team with the next outing is scheduled for round three of the Pirelli Road Race Series at Phillip Island this weekend where they aim to gain more valuable data.
