IDM SSP 300: No Getting Past Geiger

It doesn’t get much clearer than this: Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team /18) is off to a flying start. In all practice sessions for the IDM Supersport in Schleiz, the Mannheim native dominated both Friday’s free practice sessions and both qualifying sessions on Saturday. The result: pole position and a big grin on his face. “The wind was quite strong in the second qualifying session. That’s why I couldn’t improve my time any further. We’ve still taken another step forward, though, and we’re ready for the two races on Sunday,” said Geiger. His plan for Race 1: apply pressure right from the start and break away from the large group. But no matter what tactics he employs, “it’s definitely going to be two exciting races.”

Starting alongside him is Marvin Siebdrath (Team Füsport – RT Motorsports by Kawasaki/17), followed by Micky Winkler from Schleiz (Kawasaki Weber Motos Racing/19). Neither rider was able to improve their times in the second practice session, nor were any of the other riders in the top 10.

KTM rider Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team /18) won the first qualifying session in the IDM Supersport . The Mannheim native posted the fastest lap time of 1:37.304 min. He also finished at the top of the timesheets in free practice. “Everything has gone really well so far. I feel good on the bike, which is also reflected in my consistent lap times,” the Mannheim native said afterward.

The second-fastest rider was his rival Marvin Siebdrath (Team Füsport – RT Motorsports by Kawasaki/17). The Wildenfels native finished +0.651 seconds behind Geiger but was not happy with his performance. “Qualifying was okay, but it took me a long time to get into my rhythm. I wanted to push again on the last lap, but unfortunately I braked too hard,” Siebdrath summed up.

With a time of +0.831 seconds, Micky Winkler (Kawasaki Weber Motos Racing/19) from Schleiz secured third place. He spent a long time right on the tail of Toni Erhard (Roto-Store BRT/20) and finally managed to pass him on his penultimate lap. In doing so, he pushed the former 2018 IDM champion down to fourth place. “Everything just clicked on this lap,” said Winkler in the parc fermé.

Behind them were Belgian rider Luca de Vleeschauwer (Füsport – RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki/18) and Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team/15). Things got off to a rough start for the reigning IDM champion. He crashed over the front wheel during the formation lap. After a check-up in the pit lane, he was able to continue racing midway through the first qualifying session.

The first race of the IDM SSP300 begins on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and can be watched via the IDM's YouTube livestream .

Qualifying 1+2 Results: Starting Grid: