IDM SSP 300: Walid Khan Speeds to Pole Position

A one-two for KTM—that’s the result of Saturday’s two qualifying sessions in the IDM Supersport at Oschersleben. Walid Khan will start the first race in the afternoon from pole position, followed by his teammate Dustin Schneider. Marvin Siebdrath will start third.

For Walid Khan (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing), Saturday morning went off without a hitch. The Dutch rider took the lead as early as the first qualifying session, making it clear that he feels comfortable and in good form on the circuit in the Magdeburger Börde. “I like the track and can focus entirely on my strengths here,” Khan explained afterward. In the second practice session, he stepped it up a notch and improved his lap time by two hundredths of a second to 1:36.034 minutes. In doing so, he set the benchmark for the upcoming races, which his teammate Dustin Schneider (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) will start from second position. The rider from the Vogtland region, however, struggled with technical issues in the second qualifying session. “The bike just stalled on the first lap, and I had to coast it to a stop,” Schneider described the situation. The reasons for this are still unclear, but “at least I was able to complete a few more laps toward the end and secure my position,” the KTM rider added.

Things didn't go smoothly for Marvin Siebdrath (Yamaha bLU cRU IDM by Kiefer Racing) either. Last year's champion crashed just a few minutes before the end of practice and ended up in the gravel trap. He will start the races from third position.

The second row of the grid is led by Kawasaki rider Inigo Iglesias (Füsport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) in fourth place. Although the Spaniard managed to post consistent lap times in qualifying, he was unable to secure another pole position like the one he earned at the season opener at the Sachsenring. Kas Beekmans (Team Apreco) will start from fifth place, with his compatriot Thom Molenaar (Molenaar Racing) starting alongside him from sixth.

The first race will take place this Saturday at 4:50 p.m. and will be broadcast for free on the IDM livestream at www.idm.de/live. The second race starts on Sunday at 1:15 p.m.