That was the best demonstration of just how high the competitive level is in the IDM. A total of six active riders from the IDM Supersport 600 competed last weekend on wildcards in the Supersport World Championship races held as part of WorldSBK in Most. Some of them had been announced well in advance, while others were added at the last minute. All of them were able to keep up and make a strong impression. How did things go for each of them individually?
Max Enderlein (Kallio Racing, Yamaha): 29th/11th
The Saxon had secured a spot with Kallio Racing on short notice. The 24-year-old stepped in to replace the injured regular rider, Hannes Soomer. After a collision that briefly sent him off the track on the very first lap, he could manage no better than 29th place in the first race. In the second race, Enderlein was unstoppable on his way to 11th place. “Kallio Racing was a great opportunity to show what I can do in the Supersport World Championship—and on a track I’m familiar with, no less. I got off to a good start in the second race. On the first lap, though, I was too hesitant and didn’t want to take too many risks. As a result, I lost a few positions and fell behind the leaders. On top of that, I had some braking issues. Ultimately, I’m very happy with 11th place in a World Championship race. If someone had told me that beforehand, I wouldn’t necessarily have thought it was realistic. But over the course of the weekend, I realized that I could have done even better. However, arm pump in my right arm really hampered me during the race. Once I get that under control, I really don’t see any reason why I can’t compete at the front at the World Championship level with a good bike like the one from Kallio Racing.”
Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha): -./ 7th
Valentin Debise is second in the IDM standings and switched from the IDM Kawasaki to a World Championship Yamaha for his debut with Team GMT94. The 28-year-old Frenchman says: “After the crash on Saturday in the first race, the settings were changed for the next warm-up, but I still didn’t feel comfortable on the bike. So the mechanics came up with a mix of what I liked in the evening after the first race and in the morning before the second. That worked wonderfully. I still started the race cautiously at first because I didn’t want to damage the bike. But with my lap times, I then felt really good about attacking.”
Luca Grünwald (HRP Suzuki): 18th/13th
Luca Grünwald proved to be a huge help to the Finnish HRP Suzuki Team during his guest appearance in the Supersport World Championship this weekend. Without having had any prior experience with the Suzuki GSX-R600, it was a real leap of faith for the 26-year-old all-rounder from Upper Bavaria when he accepted the last-minute offer to step in as a replacement for the injured Eemili Lahti in the Supersport World Championship. “That was an absolutely awesome weekend,” Grünwald said in retrospect, “we started from scratch on Friday. I switched back to a 600cc bike from the IDM Superbike series. Everything was new, so we didn’t get much practice time. But starting from 27th on the grid, we did pretty well. Feel free to reach out to me again.”
Martin Vugrinec (ferQuest UNIOR Racing Team, Yamaha): 17th/-
At the IDM in Schleiz, Martin Vugrinec had a more serious crash than he had previously admitted. “I’d injured my shoulder and didn’t want to tell anyone because I was afraid I wouldn’t be allowed to race in Most. I was definitely far from 100% fit. Still, I managed to finish the first race in 17th place. In the second race, I could have easily finished in 12th place, but I was knocked out of the race by another rider while trying to pass for 11th place. Despite my injury and without a fully competitive motorcycle, I showed what I’m capable of. I believe that with the right equipment, I could compete in the top 10 of the Supersport World Championship.”
Marcel Brenner (VFT Racing Yamaha): 25th/12th
The Swiss rider is ninth in the IDM standings and had a turbulent weekend at Most. “On Saturday, I made a mistake in my very first Supersport World Championship race. On the third lap, I hit the brakes too late in the first corner. I almost took out another rider. Luckily, I didn’t crash, but I had to go through the gravel trap. I was in 14th place before that mistake!!! In the second race, I wanted to do better. It worked out.”
Patrick Hobelsberger (GMT94 Yamaha): 19th / did not start
In the IDM, he had scored a one-two finish at Most in June, and things initially seemed to be going perfectly for the Bavarian rider in the Supersport World Championship as well. His second-place finish in Friday’s practice was a clear statement of intent from the IDM leader. After that, everything went wrong. “I was already experiencing arm pump on my left side on Friday. That’s when I knew it was going to be a difficult weekend. On Saturday, I could barely operate the clutch. Things really went to s***.”