Ilya Mikhalchik will start from pole position tomorrow when the two Superbike races take place at Oschersleben. In contrast, someone who wasn’t expected to do well is only in 14th place: Patrick Hobelsberger, the leader in the top class of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM). Since arriving in the Magdeburg Börde region, things haven’t been going smoothly for the 27-year-old Bavarian from Team GERT56.
Two crashes and a mechanical issue in practice. Patrick “Pax” Hobelsberger already looked a bit shaken yesterday, Friday. “In the first free practice session, I didn’t see the wet patch; in the third free practice session, I put on a new tire and braked just a tiny bit too hard. That was it.” In the second session, he didn’t get very far either due to a technical issue. The usually cheerful Hobelsberger seemed shaken as he explained that he had gone a whole year without crashing. “That was a completely uncharacteristic day,” the race winner from the IDM season opener at the Sachsenring shook his head, “but the main thing is that I’m on the front row tomorrow.” That’s not going to happen. Hobelsberger, who had qualified directly for Superpole 2 in the Superpole pre-practice, didn’t get a chance in the decisive session due to his worn tires and the red flag stoppage caused by a crash. “That really went to shit,” he blurted out from the depths of his soul, “we have to come up with a plan now and see if we can make it work somehow.”
Ilya Mikhalchik (Champion Alpha BMW) and Florian Alt (HRP-Honda) were the only riders in Superpole to clock a lap time of 1:24. The Ukrainian rode with a style that made it look like a breeze on the BMW, with his arms stretched out on the handlebars and a slightly upright posture. Mikhalchik seemed relaxed, even though he was riding at the limit and knows that a duel with Florian Alt is on the cards for tomorrow. The two pushed each other hard in practice and were neck and neck on the timesheet.
Hannes Soomer (BMW) really caught a break. The Estonian, who had qualified third in Superpole 1, still made it into Superpole 2. There, he worked his way up to seventh on the grid, placing him right ahead of Vladimir Leonov (Hertrampf-Ducati). This was exactly the kind of comeback he had hoped for, given that his return to the IDM after an injury and a switch of manufacturers had not gone smoothly.
Leandro Mercado (Kawasaki) is in ninth place, and his team manager, Emil Weber, is now hopeful that they can finish in the top ten in the race as well. His Kawasaki teammate Federico Caricasulo at Skach Motors is struggling. The veteran of the Supersport World Championship has not been able to find his rhythm at all so far.
The Superpole format, used to determine the starting grid, was reintroduced in 2024. Accordingly, on the Friday of each event, the twelve fastest riders qualify during a half-hour “Superpole Pre-Practice” session for Superpole 2, where the top starting positions are decided.
This means they are no longer in the mix when all the other riders in Superpole 1 battle for their starting positions. However, the top three from Superpole 1 are still allowed to compete in Superpole 2. This allows them to maintain their chances of securing one of the front positions. Superpole 2 determines starting positions 1 through 15. The subsequent starting positions are determined in order based on the Superpole 1 results. The drivers retain these starting positions for both races.
Pre-Practice Results: Ilya MIKHALCHIK (BMW), Florian ALT (Honda), Bálint KOVÁCS (BMW), Patrick HOBELSBERGER (BMW), Toni FINSTERBUSCH (BMW), Thomas GRADINGER (Yamaha), Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (BMW), Philipp STEINMAYR (BMW), Max ENDERLEIN (Yamaha), Lorenzo ZANETTI (Ducati), Leandro MERCADO (Kawasaki), Vladimir LEONOV (Ducati).
Superpole 1 Results: Leon ORGIS (Yamaha), Max SCHMIDT (BMW), Hannes SOOMER (BMW), Kevin ORGIS (BMW), Maximilian KOFLER (Yamaha), Milan MERCKELBAGH (BMW), Federico CARICASULO (Kawasaki), Colin VELTHUIZEN (BMW), Marco FETZ (BMW), Oliver KÖNIG (Ducati), Luca GRÜNWALD (BMW), Marc MOSER (Ducati), Rob HARTOG (Yamaha), Sandro WAGNER (BMW), Julius ILMBERGER (BMW), Björn STUPPI (BMW).
Superpole 2 Results: Ilya MIKHALCHIK (BMW), Florian ALT (Honda), Toni FINSTERBUSCH (BMW), Bálint KOVÁCS (BMW), Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (BMW), Thomas GRADINGER (Yamaha), Hannes SOOMER (BMW), Vladimir LEONOV (Ducati), Leandro MERCADO (Kawasaki), Leon ORGIS (Yamaha), Max SCHMIDT (BMW), Lorenzo ZANETTI (Ducati), Max ENDERLEIN (Yamaha), Patrick HOBELSBERGER (BMW), Philipp STEINMAYR (BMW).