Everyone knew that Andreas Kofler was a contender before the first Supersport race of the 2024 IDM season. But no one had Štěpán Zuda on their radar. The Czech rider won the first race at the Sachsenring after the Austrian favorite made a mistake and finished second.
Andreas Kofler got off to another strong start for the family-run Yamaha team. By the fifth lap, the field had settled in behind the Austrian. Luca de Vleeschauwer was hot on his heels and had moved up two spots. It must have been a breakthrough moment for the Belgian. In 2022, he finished third overall in the IDM Supersport, but last year he hadn’t managed to bring home a single trophy on his Kawasaki. Now the situation looks much better. After switching to Triumph, the 21-year-old feels right at home. The two Ducati riders, Daniel Blin and Štěpán Zuda, rounded out the top four. A small gap separated them from the next four riders: runner-up Twan Smits, Kyle Smith, Kevin Wahr, and Dirk Geiger.
Two had already dropped out of the race by that point. Julius Caesar Rörig did not return from the second lap. Marvin Siebdrath crashed on the fifth lap.
As de Vleeschauwer and Zuda began to battle it out more and more, this naturally helped Kofler break away from the pack at the front and build a lead. But the 19-year-old from Upper Austria made a mistake, tried to correct it, only to make another one. Zuda’s time had come. In his three appearances last year, he hadn’t been nearly as far ahead as he was today. But everything has changed. First, the 18-year-old from Liberec went under the knife for arm pump. Then the Czech rider launched a completely new project and brought Ducati on board. And now he won by 1.654 seconds ahead of Andy Kofler. Zuda’s Polish teammate Daniel Blin finished third.
So in the end, there was no trophy for de Vleeschauwer again, but at least it was within reach. Blin had overtaken the Belgian in the final corner. The next race starts tomorrow, Sunday, at 1:35 p.m.
Rookie Lennox Lehmann, who had brilliantly qualified for third on the grid, found himself stuck in the middle of the pack after a disastrous start. Despite his success in practice, a podium finish in his first Supersport race hadn’t been the goal. But dropping out of the top ten wasn’t the plan either. Lehmann pushed hard, however, and finished seventh.
Till Belczykowski can only dream of that on his MV Agusta. He’s the lone rider representing the brand in the IDM Supersport field, and progress with the bike has been slow. The suspension issues are persistent, but the 19-year-old from Duisburg remains confident that the team will soon get the MV under control.
Results of the 1st Supersport Race
1. Štěpán ZUDA (CZ), Ducati
2. Andreas KOFLER (A), Yamaha
3. Daniel BLIN (PL), Ducati
4. Luca DE VLEESCHAUWER (B), Triumph
5. Twan SMITS (NL), Yamaha
6. Kyle SMITH (GB), Kawasaki
7. Lennox LEHMANN (D), Yamaha
8. Kevin WAHR (D), Triumph
9. Dirk GEIGER (D), Honda
10.Filip FEIGL (CZ), Triumph
