When 27 top-tier riders all set off at once, things get tight in the first corner. After a turbulent opening race at the start of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) at the Sachsenring, Lorenzo Zanetti, Toni Finsterbusch, and Patrick Hobelsberger took home the trophies, even though defending champion Florian Alt finished third.
A frown, a glance at the weather radar. The rain this Sunday, just before the first Superbike race, came as a surprise. Pole-sitter Patrick Hobelsberger (GERT56) had asked his buddy Jonas Folger the night before what he should do in such a situation, because the Bavarian former MotoGP rider is, in his opinion, one of the best riders at the Sachsenring. During his preseason preparations, Hobelsberger had seen virtually no rain, as he had spent almost all of his time on racetracks in Spain.
The question of which tires to use in the first Superbike race of the year was quickly settled, however. Everyone prepared for a wet track measuring 3.671 km in length.
The start was spectacular. Newcomer Maximilian Kofler (Yamalube Motorsport Kofler) shot straight to the front from eleventh position on his Yamaha. A few meters further on, the first notable crash occurred involving Thomas Gradinger (Eder Racing), who was in P5. The Austrian crashed out of the race on his Yamaha R1. After a good minute and a half, defending champion Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) returned from the first lap in the lead. Last year, he had finally brought a championship trophy back to the Honda brand.
The reigning IDM champion was under pressure from Toni Finsterbusch (GERT56), Kofler, Patrick Hobelsberger, Colin Velthuizen (RR Socia Racing), Leon Orgis, and Lorenzo Zanetti (Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt). One rider missing from the chasing pack was Ilya Mikhalchik (Champion Alpha Van Zon BMW). It seemed unbelievable. The three-time Superbike champion had fallen back to 16th place and was riding his BMW as if on eggshells.
The number of crashes was mounting: Velthuizen crashed, and his BMW shot straight up into the air before slamming into the tire barrier at full speed. Privateer Leon Franz was absent. Oliver König had lost his Hertrampf Ducati. But Marc Moser (Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt), Johann Flammann (Kawasaki Weber Racing), and Luca Grünwald (BCC-Alpha-Ilmberger Racing Team) also failed to reach the finish line.
Over the last four laps, Finsterbusch closed in on Alt’s rear wheel, but Zanetti had also worked his way up and closed the gap to the leaders. In the final three laps, the moment had arrived: a thrilling three-way battle ensued. Finsterbusch could hardly believe his eyes when he suddenly saw Zanetti’s red Ducati right beside him. The Saxon is the undisputed rain king, but today he was powerless against the Italian champion. “My visor was covered in dirt and water when the pit board signaled that someone was coming up from behind.”
It all happened very quickly, and even the final meters of the race were decided in the blink of an eye. Zanetti also overtook Alt and was the first to see the checkered flag. This repeated what had already happened yesterday in the Supersport class: the victory went to Ducati. In the final meters, Finsterbusch even overtook Flo Alt, who was riding on worn-out tires. Alt’s joy over third place was short-lived. After the DMSB’s technical inspection of the motorcycle, the 28-year-old Fireblade rider was demoted three places in the standings. The reason: the rain light under the rear fairing was inactive.
Alt thus dropped to sixth place, while Hobelsberger, Kofler, and Orgis each moved up one spot. Meanwhile, race winner Zanetti gave beaming interviews: “When I noticed the track was drying out, I saw my chance. Starting the season with a win is, of course, fantastic.”
IDM Superbike, Round 1:
1. Lorenzo ZANETTI (I), Ducati
2. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (D), BMW
3. Patrick HOBELSBERGER (D), BMW
4. Maximilian KOFLER (A), Yamaha
5. Leon ORGIS (D), Yamaha
6. Florian ALT (D), Honda
7. Philipp STEINMAYR (A), BMW
8. Bálint KOVÁCS (HU), BMW
9. Leandro MERCADO (ARG), Kawasaki
10.Jan MOHR (A), BMW
11. Nico THÖNI (A), Kawasaki
12. Max SCHMIDT (D), BMW
13. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (D), BMW
14. Ilya MIKHALCHIK (UKR), BMW
15. Kevin ORGIS (D), BMW
