An unstoppable Martin Vugrinec (Unior Racing Team, Yamaha), an angry Luca Grünwald (Kawasaki Schnock Team Motorex), and a disappointed Max Enderlein (Freudenberg SMC WorldSSP Academy, Yamaha)—the podium after the second IDM Supersport 600 race at the Lausitzring was a whirlwind of emotions.
Vugrinec, who had claimed his first IDM victory on Saturday, surged into the lead right at the first turn. Grünwald tried to challenge him for the position. Enderlein watched the duel from third place at the back of the pack.
Victor Steeman (Yamaha), Sander Kroeze (Yamaha), Glenn van Straalen (Kawasaki), and Marc Buchner (Yamaha) made up the next group. On the sixth lap, Buchner charged through the Dutch pack and caught up with the leading trio. A back-and-forth battle ensued among them. Enderlein, Vugrinec, and Grünwald took turns leading. In the end, Enderlein drifted too far to the outside in the corner. Vugrinec seized the opportunity, overtook him, and won. Grünwald also pulled off a successful maneuver. As a result, Enderlein finished third.
Vugrinec was beaming from ear to ear. After a disappointing start to the season at Assen, where the Croatian scored just nine points and was immediately ruled out of the title race due to the short season, he had launched a spectacular comeback, which he capped off with two victories at the Lausitzring. At the very first moment of the double victory, he wasn’t thinking about the overall standings at all, but was simply celebrating his individual result. It wasn’t until a little later that the Yamaha rider realized he was now once again a hot contender for the title. Grünwald leads the standings with 101 championship points. Vugrinec is second with 99 points.
Grünwald wasn’t quite as thrilled with the race result. “My Kawasaki has a few weaknesses. When Vugrinec opens the throttle, I can’t keep up with him on the straights. I know that, and the team knows it too.” What annoyed the Waldkraiburg native more was Vugrinec’s riding style. “He cuts the throttle, so you’re right on his tail, then he opens it up again.” Is the Croatian toying with his opponents? “I don’t know, but it’s starting to get on my nerves,” Grünwald made clear.
Even with a third-place finish in the race and 97 IDM points, Enderlein still has a chance to defend his title at the big IDM finale in two weeks at Hockenheim. Technically speaking, the Saxon had reached his limits at the Lausitzring. “My chief mechanic is out sick. I could tell that when it came to the suspension setup.”
For Marc Buchner, fourth place was a personal highlight, as the 2019 runner-up had been plagued by bad luck up to that point. “We made the fork settings stiffer compared to yesterday’s race. I had a bad start, but after that it was all smooth sailing.” Buchner was five-tenths of a second faster in the race than he was in qualifying.
There was no happy ending for Kroeze and van Straalen. They collided with each other and crashed.
The title race in the IDM Superstock class has also become dramatically intense. Paul Fröde, the only Honda rider in the field, leads the overall standings with 98 points. Close behind are Tim Holtz (Yamaha) and Jan-Ole Jähnig (Yamaha), each with 95 points.
Jähnig had initially appeared at the Sachsenring as a guest rider, but is now registered as a full-time rider. The former Supersport 300 World Championship rider has won three of the four races he has competed in so far.
Race 2 Results, IDM Supersport 600
1. Martin Vugrinec (CRO), Yamaha, 14 laps in 24:13.295 min
2. Luca Grünwald (D), Kawasaki, +0.273 sec
3. Max Enderlein (D), Yamaha, +0.777 sec
Race 2 Results, IDM Superstock 600
1. Jan-Ole Jähnig (GER), Yamaha, 14 laps in 24:37.863 min
2. Paul Fröde (GER), Honda, +13.585 sec
3. Per Behmer (GER), Yamaha, +14.213 sec