Extremely close times in qualifying for the IDM Superbike class have set the stage for the starting grid in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) at the Nürburgring. Ilya Mikhalchik (Champion Alpha Van Zon BMW) will start from pole position. If all goes according to plan, the Ukrainian could be crowned champion in the top class for the fourth time ahead of schedule tomorrow.
It became clear fairly quickly that Ilya Mikhalchik and Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) would once again be in the mix for the top starting positions. However, it was unexpected that so many other competitors would get in on the action. Qualifying in Germany’s top road racing class, however, wasn’t just a race for the fastest lap on the 3.618-kilometer track, but also a race against the clock in general. The full Superpole sessions yesterday and today had fallen victim to fog. Instead, a third free practice session had been held at noon as a substitute. The starting positions were determined in a single qualifying session, which was added to the evening schedule after regular track operations had concluded. Everything had to be completed in 30 minutes.
A red-flag interruption cut the race short right at the start. Bálint Kovács (Champion Alpha Van Zon BMW) had taken an unfortunate fall. The interruption was brief, and the Hungarian rider was back on the track when the race resumed. Only the footrest on the BMW had broken off. Mikhalchik took the lead, followed by Alt. Just a few laps later, the German found himself in fourth place. Jan-Ole Jähnig (GERT56) and Lorenzo Zanetti (Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt) had beaten his lap time. The Italian also took the lead, with Hannes Soomer (Enos Motorsport) joining him behind. The times and positions fluctuated constantly. Mikhalchik even briefly dropped to fourth place before returning to the top. As mentioned earlier, he’ll be starting from that position tomorrow as well.
The 28-year-old BMW driver from Kyiv, who lives in Poland, already has seven wins this season, the last four of which have come in a row. If he adds two more at the Nürburgring, he’ll be crowned champion. He holds a 58-point lead over second-place Florian Alt. Alt will start from sixth position and wasn’t at all unhappy with the result, even though some competitors had used his slipstream to gain an advantage. But everyone is neck and neck. Considering that the 28-year-old from North Rhine-Westphalia was just one-thousandth of a second (!) behind fifth-place finisher Patrick Hobelsberger (GERT56) and 0.258 seconds behind Mikhalchik, there’s still plenty up for grabs in Sunday’s races. Defending champion Alt intends to fight until the very end and give it his all, even if his injured right hand is throbbing with pain. At Assen, he was thrown from his Honda during a high-speed highside, and the bike landed directly on his hand, causing deep lacerations.
Jan-Ole Jähnig and Hannes Soomer have put themselves in a strong position and are aiming for their first victory in the IDM Superbike series. The Thuringian from Team GERT56 is now capable of anything, and the ambitious Estonian has already come very close. Soomer raced at the Nürburgring for the first and last time in 2012, when he competed in the ADAC Junior Cup. And he hopes to win on that track now. His position in the overall standings no longer matters to him—he wants a victory.
Ducati rider Lorenzo Zanetti is also in top form, starting from fourth on the grid. “If he hadn’t made a mistake on his fastest lap, he’d be on pole position,” his team manager Matthias Moser is convinced. Zanetti won the season opener in May at the Sachsenring, giving Ducati a perfect debut in the Superbike class. Along with Honda rider Alt, he’s the one who’ll be shaking up the BMW armada tomorrow. The fastest Yamaha rider is Maximilian Kofler (Yamalube Kofler Motorsport). Martin Vugrinec (Skach Motors Kawasaki Racing), who’s competing in only his third event, secured the best result for Kawasaki.
IDM Superbike Results, Qualifying
1. Ilya MIKHALCHIK (UKR), BMW
2. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER), BMW
3. Hannes SOOMER (EST), BMW
4. Lorenzo ZANETTI (ITA), Ducati
5. Patrick HOBELSBERGER (GER), BMW
6. Florian ALT (GER), Honda
7. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER), BMW
8. Jan MOHR (AUT), BMW
9. Maximilian KOFLER (AUT), Yamaha
10.Philipp STEINMAYR (AUT), BMW
11.Bálint KOVÁCS (HUN), BMW
12. Rob HARTOG (NLD), Yamaha
13. Colin VELTHUIZEN (NLD), BMW
14. Martin VUGRINEC (CRO), Kawasaki
15. Thomas GRADINGER (AUT), Yamaha
