Patrick “Pax” Hobelsberger has been working tirelessly over the past few months, investing all his energy and time into his preseason preparations. He set the fastest time in free practice for the IDM Superbike season opener at the Sachsenring. The 27-year-old Bavarian from the Saxon BMW team GERT56 was 0.363 seconds faster than Ilya Mikhalchik and 0.528 seconds faster than Florian Alt on the Honda CBR 1000 RR-R. A murmur went through the pit lane, but the result didn’t come as a complete surprise.
Hobelsberger barely noticed the winter in Germany or the view of the Alps this year. “By April, I’d almost forgotten what my home looked like,” says last year’s IDM third-place finisher after a long absence. “Most of the time, I was traveling directly from one racetrack to another or from one development test to the next. But it was the most productive preparation I’ve ever had.” Hobelsberger has stuck to his routine like no one else—he doesn’t drink alcohol, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t party, and is in bed by 11 p.m. As a result, he’s been able to improve his performance on every racetrack compared to 2023.
He had no idea, however, that the free practice session would turn out this way for him. He beat Mikhalchik and Alt—the champions of recent years. “Actually, the first day is usually my worst,” Hobelsberger says, completely relaxed, “I don’t really hit my stride until the race.” That’s when the score will be reset. The competition still has a few tricks up their sleeves. Hobelsberger, however, has already made his mark.
The drivers to beat in the title race are, of course, Honda champion Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) and three-time champion Mikhalchik (Champion Alpha Van Zon BMW), “but my own teammate, Toni Finsterbusch, is also a force to be reckoned with. And as I noticed today, Jan-Ole Jähnig is starting to find his stride, too.”
Hannes Soomer will not be on the starting grid at the Sachsenring. The Estonian driver from Team Enos Motorsport was injured in April during the 24-hour race in France. In his crash, he injured his shoulder and, as it later turned out, his leg as well. Soomer says he is disappointed at the thought of not being able to race at the Sachsenring. However, he is still recovering.
Vladimir Leonov, Hertrampf Racing’s big hope for Ducati, has not yet shown up; he is stuck in Moscow. Team boss Denis Hertrampf waits and waits. “Vladimir applied for a visa, received approval, but it still hasn’t been delivered. Now we’re running out of time.”
Free Practice, IDM Superbike:
1. Patrick HOBELSBERGER (D), BMW
2. Ilya MIKHALCHIK (UKR), BMW
3. Florian ALT (D), Honda
4. Jan MOHR (A), BMW
5. Thomas GRADINGER (A), Yamaha
6. Max ENDERLEIN (D), Yamaha
7. Lorenzo ZANETTI (I), Ducati
8. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (D), BMW
9. Philipp STEINMAYR (A), BMW
10. Max SCHMIDT (D), BMW