Now Patrick “Pax” Hobelsberger is exactly where he wants to be: on the top step of the podium in the IDM Superbike series. The Bavarian won the second race at the Sachsenring ahead of defending champion Florian Alt and Ilya Mikhalchik, and he also leads the overall standings.
After the start, Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) took the lead, ahead of Patrick Hobelsberger (GERT56) and Ilya Mikhalchik (Champion Alpha Van Zon BMW). Toni Finsterbusch (GERT56) settled into fourth place. The Saxon was followed by Lorenzo Zanetti (Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt), the winner of this morning’s first race. Luca Grünwald had shot forward from 19th to 7th place as if by magic. The weekend had been a modest one so far for him and the BCC-Alpha-Ilmberger Racing Team. Now things finally seemed to be moving forward.
In the first third of the race, a group of four formed at the front, consisting of Alt, Hobelsberger, Mikhalchik, and Zanetti, who had joined them. Hobelsberger occasionally made a move to try to take the lead from the defending champion, but Alt caught on and put the BMW driver in his place.
Finsterbusch, who had fallen back, watched the pack from behind, just a short distance away. Things stayed that way for a long time, until the action really heated up again in the final lap and a half. For Hobelsberger, the race was far from over, and the 27-year-old from Landau didn’t want to wait until the final lap to make his move. So he went all out and locked horns with Alt. The two of them disrupted each other’s lines. It was so tight that Mikhalchik, trailing behind, couldn’t even capitalize on the situation early in the season.
“Flo” Alt, who had spent the entire weekend trying to conserve his tires and build up grip, attempted a massive attack at the waterfall to reclaim the lead he had just lost in the duel, but he didn’t succeed. Hobelsberger won the race ahead of Alt, Mikhalchik, and Zanetti. The four drivers crossed the finish line within 0.666 seconds of each other.
The chasing pack had fought just as hard, with the remaining points up for grabs. Leandro Mercado finished eighth and was the fastest Kawasaki rider. Thomas Gradinger had picked himself up after his spectacular crash in the first race and finished twelfth. For Milan Merckelbagh, however, the crash meant he was unable to compete in the second race due to a lack of spare parts. Jan Mohr sprinted forward from 14th position to seventh place. Local hero Max Enderlein, who had performed so magnificently in the Superpole on Saturday as a newcomer, finished both races but failed to score any points. And for Grünwald, the race ended bitterly after his strong start: a crash.
IDM Superbike, Round 2
1. Patrick HOBELSBERGER (GER), BMW
2. Florian ALT (GER), Honda
3. Ilya MIKHALCHIK (UKR), BMW
4. Lorenzo ZANETTI (ITA), Ducati
5. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER), BMW
6. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER), BMW
7. Jan MOHR (A), BMW
8. Leandro MERCADO (ARG), Kawasaki
9. Bálint KOVÁCS (HU), BMW
10. Maximilian KOFLER (A), Yamaha
11. Philipp STEINMAYR (A), Yamaha
12. Thomas GRADINGER (A), Yamaha
13. Kevin ORGIS (D), BMW
14. Sandro WAGNER (D), BMW
15. Nico THÖNI (A), Kawasaki
