Ilya Mikhalchik won the battle in the final Superpole of the year. The Ukrainian has been the Superbike champion in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) since the Nürburgring. At Hockenheim, the BMW rider remained completely relaxed. The fact that his BMW teammate Jan-Ole Jähnig (GERT56) posted the second-fastest time ahead of Honda’s star rider Florian Alt drew attention. The Thuringian left the former champion 0.404 seconds behind.
The Champion Alpha Van Zom-BMW team had spent hours working on Mikhalchik’s motorcycle. The M 1000 RR underwent several adjustments to its geometry and electronics. “You have to find the grip on the track here,” says team boss Werner Daemen, “The track was very dirty when we arrived on Thursday. Anything that’s done to Ilya’s bike can also be individually adapted for our other riders.”
Back in the pits with Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion), the atmosphere wasn’t quite as relaxed and easygoing. “It’s really demotivating,” team boss Jens Holzhauer sums up. “We experimented a lot with the shock absorber. We’re half a second off the pace, but we can’t go any faster.” Alt was beaten in Superpole 2 by Jan-Ole Jähnig, who was over a second faster on Saturday than he was on Friday.
Alt managed to finish the 24-hour race at Le Castellet last weekend despite his injured finger—until the team was forced to retire due to a technical issue after 625 laps of 5.771 kilometers each. He’ll be able to compete in the two Superbike sprint races tomorrow, Sunday. “But I’ll probably need a skin graft next week. The wound isn’t healing, and the tendon is still exposed.” A small consolation this weekend: Pole-sitter Mikhalchik wasn’t as fast today as Alt’s best time two years ago. Back then, Alt had set a lap time of 1:25.403. Mikhalchik clocked a lap time of 1:25.728 today.
Patrick Hobelsberger (GERT56) did not qualify directly for Superpole 2, but instead had to go through SP1, from which the top three advance to SP2. Alongside Hobelsberger were Leandro Mercado (Kawasaki Weber Racing) and Milan Merckelbagh (Idenhof-MRP). Both Mercado and Lorenzo Zanetti (Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt) have to make do without their regular crews at Hockenheim because those crews are on duty at the Superbike World Championship in Cremona. Having unfamiliar personnel at the season’s final race doesn’t make things any easier.
Five riders will be competing in the IDM Superbike final: Dominik Blersch, Marcel Blersch, Paul Fröde, Moritz Jenkner, and Marc Neumann. Jenkner, a full-time Superstock rider, will be the fastest of the group and will start the race from P21.
IDM Superbike, Superpole
Superpole 1: Patrick HOBELSBERGER (BMW), Leandro MERCADO (Kawasaki), Milan MERCKELBAGH (BMW), Marco FETZ (BMW), Luca GRÜNWALD (BMW), Moritz JENKNER (BMW), Dominik BLERSCH (BMW), Oliver KÖNIG (Ducati), Martin VUGRINEC (Kawasaki), Sandro WAGNER (BMW), Marc MOSER (Ducati), Paul FRÖDE (Honda), Marcel BLERSCH (BMW), Marc NEUMANN (BMW), Julius ILMBERGER (BMW), Leon FRANZ (BMW), Björn STUPPI (BMW).
Superpole 2: Ilya MIKHALCHIK (BMW), Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (BMW), Florian ALT (Honda), Patrick HOBELSBERGER (BMW), Jan MOHR (BMW), Bálint KOVÁCS (BMW), Kevin ORGIS (BMW), Toni FINSTERBUSCH (BMW), Maximilian KOFLER (Yamaha), Max ENDERLEIN (Yamaha), Lorenzo ZANETTI (Ducati), Leandro MERCADO (Kawasaki), Colin VELTHUIZEN (BMW), Milan MERCKELBAGH (BMW), Thomas GRADINGER (Yamaha).
