Defending champion Andreas Kofler had to watch from the sidelines during the first qualifying session as Dirk Geiger (MCA Racing) initially topped the timesheets at the season opener in Oschersleben. In the second qualifying session, the Austrian from Team Yamalube Kofler Motorsport struck back. The IDM Supersport class is Supersport competitive, both in terms of manufacturers and riders.
Pole position? Andreas Kofler is more concerned with how he’s going to shed another two kilos. He’ll take care of the rest in the second qualifying session, he said. Finishing fourth after the first session didn’t bother him much. “We had a tire problem.” In the decisive Q2, the 20-year-old Yamaha rider made short work of the competition and overtook the Honda rider Dirk Geiger, who had been leading up to that point. Kofler really went all out right away, building a lead of 0.761 seconds. And he was the only one to post a lap time under 1:27.00 minutes.
Marvin Siebdrath worked his way up to third place on the starting grid. “I had a very good preseason.” Even back in the winter, word was circulating in many circles that the Saxon, as Andreas Kofler’s sparring partner and teammate, was poised for a breakthrough. Last year, the 21-year-old from Wildenfels lacked consistency and finished 12th overall in the championship under the guidance of multiple Supersport champion Max Enderlein. “But I’ve also made great strides physically,” said Siebdrath, adding, “Ultimately, it’s the combination of everyone that makes a team.”
The usual contenders for the podium, such as Luca de Vleeschauwer (Track and Trades Wixx Racing) and his teammate Melvin van der Voort, will start from the second row alongside Julius Caesar Rörig (MCA Racing). A surprise is Till Belczykowski (LJ Racing) in 8th place on the grid with his MV Agusta.
The rider missing from the front of the grid is Lennox Lehmann, who is understandably frustrated. He qualified in 10th place, which means the fourth row on the grid. After last year’s IDM sixth-place finisher made a promising move from Yamalube Kofler Motorsport to the Apreco team, things aren’t going very well right now. The Saxon is riding the Yamaha YZF-R6 exactly the way you shouldn’t. Former Superbike rider Stefan Nebel watched the action from the Hotel Curve and shook his head. Lehmann’s line choice differed greatly from how the competition was riding. He said, “There’s just no other way.” The turn of events didn’t come as a complete surprise to the 19-year-old, who is apparently from Dresden. “It was already becoming apparent during testing,” he said, dejected.
The fastest Kawasaki rider, Luca Göttlicher, as well as his teammate Valentino Herrlich from Kawasaki Weber Racing, had hoped for better than 12th and 17th on the grid, but team manager Emil Weber tempered their expectations. “We’ve launched a completely new project with the Ninja 636. The bike was delivered late. And whenever there’s a change, there are five different opinions. We have to sit down together and make a decision. We also can’t forget that the riders are 18 and 16 years old. We can’t compare ourselves to Dirk Geiger, who has already won the ADAC Northern European Cup twice. To get there, we have to take it one step at a time.”
Iñigo Iglesias, the Spaniard from Triumph Racing Team Germany, is completely off his game: P 18 and two and a half seconds behind. The first IDM Supersport takes place today at 4:10 p.m.
IDM Supersport Results, Qualifying
1. Andreas KOFLER (AUT), Yamaha
2. Dirk GEIGER (DEU), Honda
3. Marvin SIEBDRATH (DEU), Yamaha
4. Melvin VAN DER VOORT (NLD), Ducati
5. Luca DE VLEESCHAUWER (BEL), Ducati
6. Julius Caesar RÖRIG (GER), Honda
7. Daniel BLIN (POL), Ducati
8. Till Benedikt BELCZYKOWSKI (GER), MV Agusta
9. Marcel BRENNER (SUI), Ducati
10. Lennox LEHMANN (GER), Yamaha
