Melvin van der Voort (Team SWPN) seemed to be doing everything right after his crash in the first IDM Supersport race Supersport Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. He was cruising confidently toward victory. But things turned out differently. In the end, Twan Smits (Team Apreco), Thomas Gradinger (Eder Racing), and Andreas Kofler (M32 Racing) stood on the podium.
Melvin van der Voort left no doubt about his title ambitions and was never in danger. Instead, the Yamaha rider confidently led the second Supersport of the day. No one else was as fast as the 17-year-old Dutchman, who had a lead of over three seconds on the clock with three laps to go. Since the gaps between the leader and the next three riders were quite noticeable, the podium spots seemed to be a foregone conclusion. But far from it. In the final corner, van der Voort crashed as he entered the turn. It was a personal disaster. Just a few more meters and he could have at least partially made up for the setback from that morning. The Yamaha rider still earned four points after managing to get his bike back up and crossing the finish line in twelfth place. In doing so, he handed his compatriot Twan Smits the day’s second victory and the championship lead on a silver platter.
Behind van der Voort, there was some movement as the race progressed. Smits had overtaken Gradinger. Michal Prasek (MotoLife Racing), who had secured a Triumph podium finish in the first race, had crashed. Martin Vugrinec pulled his Yamaha into the pits due to a mechanical issue.
Andreas Kofler, who moved up to third place after van der Voort crashed, summed it up: “It was a tough race for me because I couldn’t keep up with the top three. But in the end, you have to finish the race to secure a spot on the podium.”
IDM Supersport, 2. Lauf
1. Twan SMITS (NLD), Yamaha
2. Thomas GRADINGER (AUT), Yamaha
3. Andreas KOFLER (AUT), Yamaha
4. Luca DE VLEESCHAUWER (BEL), Kawasaki
5. Yves STADELMANN (CHE), Yamaha
6. Milan MERCKELBAGH (NLD), Yamaha
7. Leon ORGIS (DEU), Yamaha
8. Jonas KOCOUREK (CZE), Triumph
9. Christoph BEINLICH (DEU), Yamaha
10. Julius Caesar RÖRIG (DEU), Honda