In theory, Paul Fröde could defend his title in the IDM Superstock 600 Cup at the season finale in Hockenheim. In practice, however, the 19-year-old from Hohenstein-Ernstthal trails current leader Noah Lequeux by 17 championship points. But regardless of how the season finale at the Motodrom in Baden—scheduled for September 24–26, 2021—turns out, Fröde is aiming for promotion to the IDM Superbike 1000 class in 2022.
“Yes, that’s the plan,” Fröde says candidly on the subject. “There have been some initial talks, but nothing is set in stone.” He describes his chances as “not too bad,” but wouldn’t mind being approached by other decision-makers. For the Saxon, promotion to the top flight is a serious matter.
Currently, just as he did last year, Fröde is riding the only Honda in the Superstock 600 field, which—despite minor modifications to the motorcycles—starts alongside the IDM Superstock 600 class but is scored separately. Fröde has won five races this season; no competitor has more to show for it. Cup leader Lequeux from Luxembourg has only four wins, but a better overall record because he has scored points in every race. Fröde, on the other hand, was taken out by a Supersport during the formation lap before the restart of the second race at the season opener in Oschersleben. “Everything just went a bit wrong,” Fröde reports, “because later in Assen, the engine blew up during the second qualifying session; as a result, the Honda didn’t run smoothly in the first race. In the second race, it worked better, but it was still far from running properly.”
Most recently at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Fröde had to take a back seat once again. “I didn’t get the hang of the track right away. Right at the start of the race, Supersport rider Melvin van der Voort crashed right in front of me. Having to swerve to avoid him put me way behind. I was able to make up ten seconds and was posting the same lap times as Lequeux on his Yamaha, but I just couldn’t catch up to him anymore.” The final decision, however, won’t be made until Hockenheim.