It was close—very close. Max Enderlein had a 0.3-second lead after one lap. In the end, however, Sander Kroeze was declared the winner of the first race in the IDM Supersport class. Enderlein finished second. Third place went to Tom Toparis from Australia. It was an all-Yamaha podium. A Kawasaki appeared in fourth place—ridden by Gabriel Noderer, who had started from eighth position.
The field at the front was completely reshuffled as early as the first lap. In the second half of the race, Toparis took the lead ahead of Enderlein, while a three-way battle for third place developed between Kroeze, Noderer, and Daniel Rubin. Then Kroeze suddenly left everyone behind and surged to the front. On the final lap, Enderlein attempted to take the lead from Kroeze. An electronics problem thwarted his plan. The ignition went haywire. No sooner had Enderlein passed the Dutchman than he found himself right back behind him. “The second race will be better,” the Saxon is now certain. The Freudenberg Team got to work immediately after the podium ceremony.
Third-place finisher Tom Toparis is even less well-known in this country. The cheerful, sunny-natured young man is from Australia; at just 18 years old, he’s a youngster competing in the IDM Supersport series and spends the racing season in the Netherlands. Toparis celebrated his 18th birthday last Friday at the Lausitzring. What a way to start his new year of life!