Guest rider Oliver Bayliss (D34G) won the first Supersport race of the International German Motorcycle Championship in Most. Melvin van der Voort (Team SWPN) finished second. Thomas Gradinger (Eder Racing) was once again plagued by bad luck.
Surprise on the starting grid. Oliver Bayliss, who had qualified for pole position, is starting only in fourth place. There’s a reason for that. Because he was missing the required tire stickers during the warm-up, the Australian—who is making a guest appearance in the IDM—was set back three places. For Bayliss, who comes from the Supersport World Championship, this is no problem. After the start, he goes all out and takes the lead in the very first corner. Melvin van der Voort is behind Bayliss, who is racing outside the points, and wants to score full points after the disastrous weekend in Oschersleben—preferably ahead of Bayliss. But that’s not going to happen. There is no disputing the victory of the 19-year-old son of three-time Superbike World Champion Troy Bayliss. He ensures that a Ducati wins today in the brand’s first appearance this year outside the IDM pool.
Melvin van der Voort nevertheless returns to the ideal line with his second-place finish. Since Bayliss is out of the running, the Dutchman receives full points. Behind him, the action remains chaotic throughout. Thomas Gradinger overtakes Bayliss’s teammate Maximilian Kofler, whose brother Andreas (M32 Racing) finishes fourth. Championship leader Twan Smits (Team Apreco), who was caught up in the chaos at the start, manages to work his way up to third place. And right in the thick of it is the Czech rider Michal Prasek (MotoLife Racing), who is no longer the youngest but holds his own tenaciously on the Triumph. A podium finish is within reach for Thomas Gradinger right up until the end, but he crashes into the rough gravel of the Most Autodrom on the final lap.
IDM Supersport, Round 1
1. (G) Oliver Max BAYLISS (AUS/Ducati)
2. Melvin VAN DER VOORT (NLD/Yamaha)
3. Twan SMITS (NLD/Yamaha)
4. Andreas KOFLER (AUT/Yamaha)
5. Michal PRASEK (CZE/Triumph)
6. Martin VUGRINEC (CRO/Yamaha)
7. (G) Maximilian KOFLER (AUT/Ducati)
8. Christoph BEINLICH (DEU/Yamaha)
9. Jonas KOCOUREK (CZE/Triumph)
10. Luca DE VLEESCHAUWER (BEL/Kawasaki)