Can we start dreaming again in the IDM Superbike? After a disastrous start to the season at the Lausitzring, Florian Alt has bounced back with a strong performance in qualifying. The 26-year-old rider from the Wilbers BMW Team has secured pole position in the premier class. Team boss Benny Wilbers, who is celebrating his 70th birthday today, is thrilled.
Florian Alt was exactly 13 thousandths of a second faster than Markus Reiterberger (BCC-alpha-Van Zon-BMW) on his fastest lap. The two BMW drivers were the only ones in the premier class to set lap times in the 1:24 range during qualifying. With a time of 1:24.840, Alt even beat Reiterberger’s lap record. The races at the Motorsport Arena are shaping up to be a battle between equals.
What sets the two apart, however, is that Reiterberger has a perfect points tally thanks to his one-two finish at the season opener, while Alt has none at all due to technical issues. But the season has only just begun, and the final tally will be determined at the end.
Vladimir Leonov (Hertrampf Mo Yamaha Racing Team) qualified third, securing a spot on the front row. His presence adds an extra layer of excitement to the championship, as the 35-year-old has what it takes to contend for the title. Rob Hartog (Team SWPN, photo) provided a surprise. The Dutchman, who Supersport from the IDM Supersport class in sixth place overall, even left competitors like Julian Puffe (GERT56) and Jan Mohr (BCC-alpha-Van Zon-BMW) behind on his Yamaha as a rookie.
Gabriel Noderer (Kiefer Racing), another rookie coming up from the Supersport class, made it into the top ten. In the IDM Superbike, there are no free rides—not even further down the grid. In qualifying, Ricardo Brink (RR Socia Racing Team NL) and Philipp Steinmayr (Eder Racing) were separated by just 0.004 seconds.
Hikari Okubo (HRP) finds himself unexpectedly far back—in 16th place. The Japanese rider will start from the sixth row on the Holzhauer Honda. Yet he had scored points in both races at the Lausitzring. There is a reason for his current position. “First, he had that unfortunate incident in practice yesterday. Because of that, he missed an entire practice session,” explains team boss Jens Holzhauer. “Second, he doesn’t know the track, and he simply lacks practice miles on the bike. He improved by one second from Q1 to Q2.”
During Friday's free practice, a loose knee slider slammed into Okubo's helmet visor with full force and struck the Japanese rider in the eye. Holzhauer took his rider to the hospital for an examination and treatment. Back in the paddock, Okubo spent hours cooling the right side of his face.
No Kawasaki will be on the starting grid. Latest update on Bastien Mackels of the Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing Team, who crashed yesterday: The Belgian rider has suffered five fractures in his foot and underwent surgery yesterday at a hospital in Magdeburg.
IDM Superbike, Qualifying
1. Florian ALT (GER), BMW
2. Markus REITERBERGER (GER), BMW
3. Vladimir LEONOV (UAE), Yamaha
4. Rob HARTOG (NED), Yamaha
5. Julian PUFFE (GER), BMW
6. Jan MOHR (AUT), BMW
7. Pepijn BIJSTERBOSCH (NLD), BMW
8. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (DEU), BMW
9. Daniel KARTHEININGER (DEU), Yamaha
10. Gabriel NODERER (DEU), BMW