At the IDM round in Oschersleben, Patrick “Pax” Hobelsberger struggled with numerous issues on the GERT56 BMW at the start. Things changed at Most, even though not everything went smoothly. In the two IDM Superbike races held there, he finished fourth and fifth. This means he remains the top BMW rider.
A week before the races in the Czech Republic, the Bavarian rider had the opportunity to spend a day training on the track. “That helped me tremendously, because every track feels completely different on a Superbike, and I have a lot to learn,” says the rookie from Germany’s top road racing class with relief. “It was the perfect follow-up to the previous IDM weekend in Oschersleben.”
Compared to the free practice sessions, Hobelsberger was able to improve his performance once again in qualifying, “but I still find it difficult to put together a single fast lap. That’s why I was very satisfied with the fifth-fastest time. I knew that the time I set in qualifying was definitely within my reach in the race as well, and that it would open the door to a podium finish.”
In the first race, Hobelsberger entered the first corner in third place. He says: “Right on the second lap, I was able to pass Hannes Soomer, and with the pace I’d set in qualifying, I was able to keep up with the leading group, just as I’d expected. Riding behind Florian Alt, it was relatively easy to manage the tires and string together the laps. I was a tad faster, especially in the final sector, and I was already planning my first attack there. At that point, the leading group consisted of seven riders. On the fifth lap, at the end of the start-finish straight while drafting behind Florian Alt, I made a mistake that caused me to drop back to fourth place.”
In the second race, Hobelsberger had also had his sights set on the podium, but had to settle for fifth place. “Something happened that didn’t fit into my plan at all,” said the 26-year-old from Landau an der Isar, “the camshaft sensor broke and the motorcycle went into emergency mode. The engine was limited to just 9,000 rpm. I was just trying to finish the race. It was almost impossible to ride really fast anymore. I managed to fend off three passing attempts.”
So far, Hobelsberger has managed to finish in the top 5 in every race. He is fourth in the overall championship standings and the top BMW driver.
Overall Standings after 6 of 14 races:
1. Florian Alt (GER/Honda) 140 points; 2. Bastien Mackels (BEL/Yamaha) 85; 3. Hannes Soomer (EST/Honda) 84; 4. Patrick Hobelsberger (GER/BMW) 79; 5. Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR/BMW) 75
