After the unpredictable weather at the Nürburgring, qualifying for the Supersport class Supersport the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) finally took place. Honda rider Dirk Geiger (MCA) Racing clinched pole position at the very last moment ahead of the two Yamaha riders, Andreas Kofler (Yamalube Motorsport Kofler) and Twan Smits (Team Apreco).
Thick fog blanketed the Nürburgring this Saturday morning, engulfing the circuit in ever-thicker clouds. Already yesterday, the thick fog was responsible for the cancellation of most of the scheduled practice and qualifying sessions. Visibility on the 3.618-kilometer track was completely inadequate. However, as the situation cleared up this morning and the sun broke through, the first—and, according to the new schedule, only—qualifying session in the IDM Supersport .
All the lap times set during yesterday’s free practice sessions were put into perspective today. For a long time, no one could get past Dutch driver Twan Smits. It wasn’t until just before the end of the 30-minute session that Dirk Geiger claimed pole position, 0.012 seconds ahead of Andreas Kofler. The Austrian, in turn, pushed Smits back by another seven thousandths of a second. It was incredibly close, but Geiger could tell he’d put a really fast lap down on the track. “But I pushed it to the limit.” The MCA Racing Team had been training at the Nürburgring over the summer. “We experimented a lot with the clutch—there were some issues there,” Geiger explains. Now everything is in order. A victory in the Eifel would play right into his hands. The Mannheim native has already done the math: “Theoretically, I could even finish the season in second place in the overall standings.” But no matter how hard he tries, the current fifth-place driver simply can’t catch up to Andreas Kofler anymore.
Geiger’s teammate Julius Caesar Rörig also had a successful outing: 8th place in qualifying, which means he’ll start from the third row. The 18-year-old CBR 600-RR rider hasn’t been this far up the grid yet this season. It’s possible that several completed projects have cleared his mind, allowing him to approach the race with a lighter heart. Rörig has graduated from high school. Everything worked out with his acceptance into a marketing and business administration program. To that end, he moved out of his parents’ house and found an apartment in Munich.
There was a lot of jostling for the spots on the second row of the grid. Luca de Vleeschauwer (MotoLife) thus achieved his stated goal for the day on the Triumph and will start from fourth position tomorrow. It initially looked like Lennox Lehmann (Yamalube Motorsport Kofler) would make it onto the front row, but he was pushed back by his teammate Andy Kofler. Marvin Siebdrath (Yamaha Racing by M32) slipped into the second row after edging out Daniel Blin (AF Racing) on the Ducati by 0.047 seconds at the very end. All of this happened within five minutes.
Tomorrow at the Nürburgring, the stage will be set for the final stretch at the Hockenheimring from September 20 to 22. After 10 of 14 races, Andreas Kofler (183 points) Supersport the IDM Supersport , ahead of Luca de Vleeschauwer (147.5), Daniel Blin (139.5), Lennox Lehmann (137), and Dirk Geiger (104).
IDM Supersport Qualifying
1. Dirk GEIGER (GER), Honda
2. Andreas KOFLER (AUT), Yamaha
3. Twan SMITS (NED), Yamaha
4. Luca DE VLEESCHAUWER (BEL), Triumph
5. Lennox LEHMANN (GER), Yamaha
6. Marvin SIEBDRATH (GER), Yamaha
7. Daniel BLIN (POL), Ducati
8. Julius Caesar RÖRIG (GER), Honda
9. Kyle SMITH (GBR), Kawasaki
10.Filip FEIGL (CZE), Triumph
11.Luca GÖTTLICHER (GER), Triumph
12. Sasha DE VITS (BEL), Yamaha
13. Till BELCZYKOWSKI (DEU), MV Agusta
14. Wiljan VAN WIKSELAAR (NLD), Ducati
15. Kas BEEKMANS (NLD), Yamaha
