What a battle this is going to be. Max Enderlein is right at the front of the grid on his Freudenberg Yamaha and has the best starting position, but he’d better brace himself for the two IDM Supersport . Marc Buchner is hot on the Saxon’s heels. And lurking right behind him is none other than Kevin Wahr, who is finally aiming to clinch his second title in the class in 2018. His team boss and tuner, Diego Romero, has extended his contract for another year after things went awry last season and Wahr “only” finished as runner-up at the end of the season. “I can’t say goodbye like this,” the Betzdorf native reflected over the winter.
With the exception of two Kawasakis, the IDM Supersport is a Yamaha-dominated class, interspersed with stock-sport bikes, which are subject to fewer modifications and whose riders are also permitted to hold a B license. They start in the same field but are classified separately. For now, the front positions are occupied exclusively by the Supersport riders, but how long will it take for the young talent from the Superstock scene to work their way to the front? The field is impressive. Guest rider Dennis Bech from Denmark, who is competing under the Yamaha MGM banner, agrees. “In Oschersleben and Schleiz, maybe even in Hockenheim,” muses the accomplished R6 rider from the far north. Even a full-season entry isn’t out of the question.
Things are also looking up for Gabriel Noderer, one of the two full-time Kawasaki riders in the field. In 2017, the Bavarian was still competing in the Supersport . That didn’t go entirely smoothly. Incidentally, Noderer has grown physically beyond the ideal height for the class. He now has to get used to the bike with double the engine displacement. Still, he’s starting from 11th on the grid.