He wants to compete at the top. Marc Moser, 25, has returned to the IDM Superbike 1000 with big plans after a year away from racing. But his season started with a zero-point finish and a broken hand. The rider from Hesse crashed his Yamaha at the Lausitzring after a mechanical failure caused him to highside. But that’s no reason for him to complain.
Nevertheless, Moser headed to the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben with mixed feelings, where the IDM will kick off this week as part of the FIM Endurance World Championship. “I’ll do my best,” he said ahead of the first Superbike round. “Scoring two wins this weekend and racking up 50 points in one go would obviously be a dream,” he laughed cheerfully. “On Monday, I borrowed my father’s street bike and went for a lap. That went well, even without having to take any painkillers. Riding on the race track is, of course, something completely different—just the strain on the hand alone.”
In the very first free practice session, former FIM Superstock 1000 rider Moser completed a whopping 17 laps—just one lap short of the race distance. “There are a few suspension issues because I can’t lean into the bike as much as I usually do,” explains the 25-year-old. “But we’ll get that sorted out.”
In the first qualifying session, Moser finished eighth, 1.681 seconds behind leader Julian Puffe (alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW). Ilya Mikhalchik was second on the timesheet, with Alessandro Polita (Honda) in third.