Ilya Mikhalchik (BCC ALPHA VAN ZON BMW RACING) will start from pole position in the IDM Superbike race at the TT Circuit Assen. Joining him on the grid will be his BMW teammates Toni Finsterbusch and Patrick Hobelsberger (both GERT56). The fastest lap times were all set during the first qualifying session, which took place at noon, before a brief rain shower hit the track.
The TT Circuit’s track layout suits BMW very well. It features long, slightly banked corners that allow for high speeds. The course flows smoothly and does not require any particularly challenging handling maneuvers. Ilya Mikhalchik won qualifying on the BMW M 1000 RR. This puts him on pole position for tomorrow’s first race of the IDM Superbike series. This isn’t a surprise, but his 0.827-second lead over the competition is still impressive. While Mikhalchik didn’t start the second qualifying session until three minutes before the end—and didn’t improve his time—Toni Finsterbusch, Patrick Hobelsberger, and an extremely strong Jan-Ole Jähnig held onto their positions in the pits. The entire GERT56 team had decided not to put on their helmets. “It was clear that we wouldn’t get any faster in the second qualifying session,” said Finsterbusch, “but if anyone had posted a 1:39 lap, I would have gone out again.”
The usual suspects are lining up on the grid in the IDM Superbike top ten. Bastien Mackels (Team SWPN), the first non-BMW rider, hopes to break up the leading trio tomorrow on his Yamaha.
Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion), who has the best chance of securing the title early on his Honda, is sixth and will start from the second row. “On my fastest lap, I had a rider in front of me who cost me P2 or P3,” says the 27-year-old, “but that’s how it is now. We have to try to stay close to Ilya.”
Alt’s closest rival, Hannes Soomer (Enos Enemat Motorsport), will start from the third row. Things haven’t been going his way since the races at the Red Bull Ring two weeks ago. The Estonian injured his right hand and is wearing a brace. “I’m not at 100 percent,” he says, “and on top of that, this isn’t an easy track for the Honda. We don’t have data like the HRP team does. The good news, though, is that the gap to second place isn’t that big. We’ll have to see how the rest plays out.”
IDM Superbike, Qualifying
1. Ilya MIKHALCHIK (UKR), BMW
2. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER), BMW
3. Patrick HOBELSBERGER (GER), BMW
4. Bastien MACKELS (BEL), Yamaha
5. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER), BMW
6. Florian ALT (GER), Honda
7. Hannes SOOMER (EST), Honda
8. Leandro MERCADO (ARG), Kawasaki
9. Vladimir LEONOV (UAE), Yamaha
10. Balint KOVACS (HUN), BMW