Another victory for Max Enderlein in the IDM Supersport. Thomas Gradinger was missing, so the Saxon rider had no one to battle against. However, Twan Smits has emerged as a brand-new contender.
Enderlein and his M32 Racing teammate Jan-Ole Jähnig sent their best wishes to the injured Austrian Thomas Gradinger (Eder Racing) via the Schleizer Dreieck live stream at the hospital in Bad Berka. Update on the Yamaha rider who crashed on Friday: third, fourth, and fifth thoracic vertebrae fractured. The surgery and stabilization went well. Since nothing in the spine has shifted, the fractures are expected to heal without any long-term effects, according to the latest reports.
Fifteen laps on the grueling track in Schleiz can feel incredibly long under the blazing sun. Enderlein got off to a great start, but Jähnig botched his. Meanwhile, “Rocket Andy” Kofler (Kawasaki Schnock Team Motorex) shot up from seventh on the grid to third place.
Supersport Twan Smits (Team Apreco) had already tucked in right behind Enderlein. And he didn’t let the 25-year-old two-time champion off the hook. By the third lap, however, that was off the table for the time being. The Dutchman drove straight through a chicane and had to make his way through a row of straw bales before getting back on the track. That cost him time and positions. Within two laps, though, the hothead clawed back four positions—and that on a track where you sometimes have to hold your breath.
No one could beat Max Enderlein right up until the very end. There was no getting past the Saxon. Luca de Vleeschauwer (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing), who started from fifth on the grid, still managed to finish second. Smits was rewarded for his courage and perseverance with third place. Jan-Ole Jähnig secured his best result of the season so far with a fourth-place finish.
IDM Supersport Results, Round 1:
1. Max ENDERLEIN (GER), Yamaha
2. Luca DE VLEESCHAUWER (BEL), Kawasaki
3. Twan SMITS (NED), Yamaha
4. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER), Yamaha
5. Melvin VAN DER VOORT (NLD), Yamaha
6. Christoph BEINLICH (DEU), Yamaha
7. Andreas KOFLER (CHE), Kawasaki
8. Milan MERCKELBAGH (NLD), Yamaha
9. Yves STADELMANN (CHE), Yamaha
10. Severin BINGISSER (CHE), Kawasaki