Max Enderlein (Freudenberg WorldSSP Academy) will start from pole position in the IDM Supersport 600 class at the Schleizer Dreieck. This means the battle between the rider from Hohenstein-Ernstthal and Australian Tom Toparis (Benro Racing) will continue. Just 0.114 seconds separate the two rivals in the top two spots. Marc Buchner (Buchner Motorsport) will be the third Yamaha rider in a row to take his YZF-R6 to the starting grid. Buchner recently had a breakthrough at Zolder, where he finished third after a long slump.
A Kawasaki opens out the fourth row of the grid. Luca Grünwald brought a sigh of relief to the Kawasaki Schnock Team Motorex. For 2019, Rainer Schnock had signed not only a potential podium contender but also a group of young riders. The fact that his star rider missed two events—that is, four races—due to injury had taken a toll on the motorcycle dealer from Anröchte. Now everything is fine. Christoph Beinlich (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing), starting from fifth on the grid, is set to challenge the internal Kawasaki duel. In sixth place, just a hair’s breadth behind at 0.058 seconds, is another Yamaha rider: Sander Kroeze (MGM Racing Performance).
Incidentally, Kevin Wahr was spotted on the sidelines; he had been among the favorites to win the IDM Supersport 600 title before the season began. But a lot got in the way. His team boss’s wife became seriously ill. Wahr became increasingly involved in the family business, and when the IDM made a stop in Zolder from June 21 to 23, the 30-year-old married his longtime partner, Sonja. As a result, he didn’t compete in the racing season. “Now I get to have kids,” laughs Wahr, who definitely didn’t want to miss the IDM round in Schleiz. He made himself useful as an “intern” with young rider Sandro Wagner (Rubin Racing Team). Why an intern? “Because I’ve switched sides and everything is new to me.”
It’s shaping up to be a relaxed evening for the Jenkner family. Moritz (PZmotorsport Racespare.com) is the fastest rider in the Superstock 600 class, which allows for fewer modifications but races alongside the Supersport field and is scored separately. Moritz is the son of former Grand Prix rider Steve Jenkner. Stefan Ströhlein (Neumann Racing) posted the second-fastest time in the Superstock category. Third-fastest was Milan Merckelbagh, “the newcomer” at Yamaha MGM. The 18-year-old and his former team, Benro Racing, have parted ways.