Max Enderlein has a plan: to race in every event and defend his title. For the Hohenstein-Ernstthal native from the Freudenberg Racing Team, things are off to a flying start. As the only rider in the IDM Supersport 600 class to clock a 1:42 lap time in qualifying, the Yamaha rider secured pole position. Enderlein, a student, is currently completing his internship at Porsche in Leipzig. He’s already been granted time off for the IDM rounds in Zolder and Oschersleben, but his schedule for all other dates is still up in the air. Still, Enderlein hopes his employer will be accommodating. Before the IDM season began, he trained in Brno and Most. “Everything’s going great. I know my motorcycle well. We’ve just been fine-tuning a few minor details, like the fork suspension.” Enderlein has also gotten used to using the engine brake for the first time. “That hadn’t really been an issue for us before.”
Teammate Sander Kroeze qualified for the spot next to Enderlein with a respectable margin. Third fastest on the timesheet is Tom Toparis from Australia, also a Yamaha rider. Martin Vugrinec, Dennis Lippert, and Wayne Tessels will line up on the second row of the grid. They all posted times in the 1:44 range. The same goes for the third row, which features Daniel Rubin, Gabriel Noderer, and Marc Buchner. Noderer had crashed twice on the front wheel while riding his Kawasaki during practice. There’s also a reason why Yamaha rider Buchner is on the third row: he’s just gotten over a bad cold and isn’t fully recovered yet. “I just don’t have the strength. Last year, I posted a 1:42 lap time here, just like Max Enderlein,” he said, sounding disappointed and resigned.