IDM points leader Max Enderlein barely managed to hold on to the top spot in qualifying for the two championship races at Zolder. With a razor-thin lead of just 0.014 seconds, the Yamaha rider from Hohenstein-Ernstthal secured pole position ahead of Australian Tom Toparis. The first row is rounded out by 17-year-old Dutch talent Sander Kroeze. This means that all three top finishers in the IDM Supersport 600 overall standings are on the front row.
The decision wasn't made until the final minutes of the second qualifying session. All the other riders were chasing the fastest time set by defending champion Max Enderlein in Friday's practice. The 22-year-old from Saxony, riding for Team Freudenberg World SSP Academy, posted the fastest lap time of 1:34.842 minutes. He was the only rider in the leading group who was unable to improve his time in the second practice session.
The Australian Toparis, in particular, closed in on the Saxon driver’s top time but was unable to displace him from the lead. Sandor Kroeze, from Michael Galinski’s team, is already trailing the leading duo by 0.8 seconds. The race winner from the season opener at the Lausitzring has secured a strong starting position for both races thanks to his spot on the front row.
The second row of the starting grid is also made up of riders from three countries. Belgian rider Come Geenen is followed by Dutch rider Wayne Tessels and Marc Buchner from Königswinter. Next is Croatian rider Martin Vuginec, who is still hampered by bruises from his crash in Oschersleben.
Right behind him is Luca Grünwald, the fastest Kawasaki rider. The 2018 World Championship fourth-place finisher in the Supersport 300 class won’t be able to join the IDM championship battle until Zolder. The 24-year-old from Bavaria, who races for the Kawasaki Schnock Team Motorex, was injured during preseason testing and missed the first two IDM race weekends. “Of course, my lack of experience with this bike is noticeable, but it’s getting better with every run,” says the former World Championship rider.
The fastest rider in the Superstock 600 class during practice at Zolder is Jan Schmidt from Düdesheim. His Yamaha teammates Moritz Jenkner and Stefan Ströhlein are his closest rivals.