IDM SSP 300: Jeffrey Buis changes tactics and wins

An all-orange podium: Jeffrey Buis wins the first race on Saturday afternoon in Oschersleben. Ruben Bijmann overtakes Oliver Svendsen in the final turn to take third place.

Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) remained unbeatable in the first Supersport 300 race of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) at Oschersleben. After the reigning world champion had already dominated all practice sessions, he went one better by winning the first race. However, the path to victory involved a strategic shift that he even adjusted during the race: “My plan was actually to open up a gap at the front. But that wasn’t possible,” Buis admitted, and he spontaneously changed his tactics. Instead of pushing harder, he eased off to conserve his tires. It paid off, as the 22-year-old had even more power to spare in the final two laps. “At the end, I was able to shift up a gear again and retake the lead,” Jeffrey Buis reported at the podium ceremony—visibly pleased that his intuitive tactical change had paid off for him.

Teammate Ruben Bijman crossed the finish line in Buis a short distance behind. But the KTM rider from Lopik, Netherlands, added an extra dose of excitement in the penultimate lap. “I shifted gears wrong—that really shouldn’t have happened,” Bijman explained afterward. Oliver Svendsen (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) capitalized on the mistake, quickly moving up to second place. But Bijman didn’t let that shake him and did everything he could to close the gap to Svendsen. In the final corner, Bijman was so close behind Svendsen that he was not only able to pass the Dane on the inside but also finished the race in second place with the fastest lap time.

Oliver Svendsen finished third, followed by Phillip Tonn (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) in fourth place. Tonn demonstrated with his strong pace during the race that he was definitely one to watch. This made the disappointment all the greater when he ran out of power toward the end and was unable to keep up in the battle for the podium.

Senna van den Hoven (Molenaar Racing) secured a commanding fifth-place finish, benefiting from a crash by his rival Dylan Czarkowski (Racing DC). Saturday was a rough day for the Yamaha rider. First, he crashed during the second qualifying session, which caused some damage to his motorcycle. He and his sole mechanic quickly patched up the bike in time for the race start. After the start, he was handed a long-lap penalty following an avoidable collision with Fabio Sarasino (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) on the first lap, which sent Sarasino into the gravel trap. Czarkowski promptly served the penalty handed down by race control, worked his way back up to fifth place, and ultimately crashed himself in the final corner before the checkered flag.

We’ll find out what happens next in the IDM Supersport 300 on Sunday at 2:30 p.m., when the second round gets underway at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. The race can be watched for free via the IDM livestream at www.idm.de/live.

IDM Supersport 300 Race 1 Results: