As if the master’s graduate didn’t have enough on his plate already. But Max Enderlein, currently in the midst of exams for his business degree, needs this. The 23-year-old from Hohenstein-Ernstthal is not only tackling the defense of his title in the IDM Supersport 600, but is now also serving as a riding coach for the young riders on the Team Freudenberg-SMC WorldSSP Academy.
In the IDM Supersport 600 class, Enderlein will be riding a brand-new Yamaha YZF-R6. He hasn’t logged many miles on it yet, but he’s already given it his all right on his home turf at the Sachsenring. “Technical issues and a crash on the first day,” he explains, adding: “On the second day, a 1:26.5-minute lap time on used tires.” By comparison, the leaders in the Moto2 World Championship are only three seconds faster at the Sachsenring. The big international stage remains the goal of the two-time champion.
Enderlein is thrilled about the IDM’s return to the track: “Finally, a home race again.” The six-time race winner from 2019 and ADAC Saxony Sportsman of the Year will not be staying in the paddock this time, but will instead spend the night at home. When he’s not out on his bike, he could even walk to the racetrack from there.
His competition in the title defense? “Marc Buchner, Sander Kroeze, Luca Grünwald, Daniel Rubin. Generally speaking, I first have to get through the season opener in Assen, because the Dutch riders have all already been training there. We’ll see what happens after that.”
Within the team’s internal Freudenberg Junior Academy, Enderlein is helping IDM Supersport 300 riders Netzker, Lennox Lehmann, and Lennard Göttlich advance their careers. Eighteen-year-old Netzker, who scored 13 points last year as a 300cc rookie in his first-ever motorsports season, was able to improve his personal best time at the Lausitzring by two seconds thanks to Enderlein. Enderlein had also taken to the track on a KTM RC 390R during the test days.
Things have been in full swing for a while now for ADAC Junior Cup newcomers Lehmann and Göttlich. “We’ve already been fine-tuning the setup on my KTM,” says 14-year-old Cup winner Lennox Lehmann from Dresden with a smile. “My goal is a spot in the top 5 of the IDM, even if it’s hard to say right now!” Lehmann’s ambitions are no coincidence. He already made a guest appearance in the IDM’s Supersport 300 junior class with the Freudenberg crew at the 2019 Hockenheim finale and finished in the top ten in both races.
That’s where 15-year-old rookie Lennard Göttlich, who hails from Eibau in eastern Saxony, also hopes to end up after a period of adjustment. Enderlein has complete confidence in the boys’ ability, “and above all in their intelligence. It will play a fundamental role given the intensity of the few race weekends. In terms of speed, they certainly didn’t have to hide behind our World Championship teammates on the team. But speed isn’t everything in the Supersport 300 class. We’ll see how the three of them fare in Assen in mid-August.”