Julian Puffe (alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW) will start tomorrow’s first IDM Superbike 1000 race from pole position. Like the other IDM solo classes, this prestigious class is making a guest appearance at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben as part of the FIM Endurance World Championship.
Puffe was the only rider to clock a time under 1:26. The 23-year-old from Schleiz set his fastest lap at 1:25.547. For the ambitious German, however, there was a downside that was clearly noticeable. He crashed during the rest of the practice session; the new BMW S 1000 RR sustained heavy damage and caught fire. It is not yet clear whether the motorcycle can be repaired or if the spare bike will be used.
Defending champion Ilya Mikhalchik finished second. Puffe’s 22-year-old teammate set his best time of 1:26.306 min in the first qualifying session and was unable to improve on it. He also had a slip in the second session but was able to continue riding.
Marc Moser (MGM Yamaha) secured third place on the front row. And he did so despite a broken hand that is still in the middle of the healing process. Team owner Michael Galinski described the measures taken to make riding easier for Moser. “We’re trying to get him to lean forward more and do fewer wheelies.” Moser’s teammate, Superbike rookie Maximilian Weihe, narrowly missed making the top ten. Galinski already thinks highly of the 2018 Suzuki GSX-R Cup winner, who has now switched to the Yamaha R1-M. “He has a very calm and pleasant way of working. Maximilian is open to guidance and tries to implement a lot of things. He’s doing a good job.”
Dominic Schmitter (Yamaha) will start from the second row. The Swiss rider is a regular in the IDM Superbike 1000 series but does not compete in every race. Erwan Nigon (Kawasaki) qualified for fifth on the grid, and Alessandro Polita (Honda) for sixth. The Italian had already spent three days training at Oschersleben over the weekend, but the track was very crowded and the Fireblade rider had hardly any clear track time. For HRP team boss Jens Holzhauer, sixth place with the Fireblade is therefore perfectly acceptable.
Also finishing in the top ten were Pepijn Bijsterbosch (BMW), Ricardo Brink (Yamaha), Toni Finsterbusch (Suzuki), and Bobby Bos (Suzuki). Both Brink and Finsterbusch crashed, with Finsterbusch sustaining injuries to his right arm and foot.