The mechanics for Lukas Tulovic (Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt) and Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) didn’t get a lunch break after the events of the first IDM Superbike race at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. In “Tulo’s” case, the sacrifice was definitely worth it. The Eberbach native won the second race of the day by a clear margin ahead of Hannes Soomer (Masteroil Alpha Van Zon BMW) and his own teammate Lorenzo Zanetti. The Italian had edged out Florian Alt for a podium spot in the final meters.
For Tulovic and Alt, everything was back to square one after the technical issues in the first Superbike race. The Ducati and the Honda had been thoroughly overhauled to fix the problems. Tulo, who had sat dejected in his pit chair with his head down for a long time, immediately took the lead in the second race. Alt held his position behind him. Jan-Ole Jähnig (GERT56) had reacted better this time and was in third place after the start. Lorenzo Zanetti, Hannes Soomer, Toni Finsterbusch (GERT56), Leon Orgis (ORM Racing Team), and Leandro Mercado (Masteroil Alpha Van Zon BMW) then lined up one after another like a string of pearls. The Argentine remained unremarkable this time.
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It quickly became clear: Under normal circumstances, Tulo and Alt are unbeatable for the rest of the field. But what’s “normal,” anyway? Zanetti raced past Jähnig at full speed. Soomer and Finsterbusch followed suit. Meanwhile, Tulo pulled away at the front and built a 3.8-second lead over Alt. Alt, in turn, was slowly but surely caught by Zanetti. At that point, Alt wasn’t expecting an attack, but he felt the full brunt of it. Alt strayed from the ideal line, and he had no answer for the Panigale V4R’s top speed. Once the Italian had passed him, Alt ran out of options for a front-row podium finish—which ultimately turned into nothing at all.
Soomer had gradually worked his way up through the field and, in the final meters, went elbow-to-elbow with Zanetti, which earned him second place. It was a really tough battle.
Tulovic, who was 3.760 seconds ahead, didn’t notice much of what was going on around him. He won in dominant fashion, leaving everyone else in the dust. Everything went perfectly. Now the 2022 Moto2 European Champion has also made his mark in the IDM Superbike series. “For me, the race wasn’t that exciting,” the 24-year-old said afterward, but he immediately added, “It’s never easy going, but with a gap like that to the field behind, you can manage the race. I do have that much experience, after all.”
In any case, Hannes Soomer is heading home as the leader. He earned 45 championship points over the weekend and did everything right. The Estonian is racing for a new team with new colors; only his blue helmet remains from his distinctive outfit—so his mother can spot him right away on the live stream. That was clearly the case in Oschersleben. Finsterbusch has 31 points and Zanetti 29.
Another notable development: The Orgis brothers, Leon and Kevin, from the private ORM Racing Team in Arnsdorf, both finished in the top ten.
IDM Superbike, Race 2:
1. Lukas TULOVIC (GER), Ducati
2. Hannes SOOMER (EST), BMW
3. Lorenzo ZANETTI (ITA), Ducati
4. Florian ALT (GER), Honda
5. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER), BMW
6. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER), BMW
7. Leandro MERCADO (ARG), BMW
8. Leon ORGIS (GER), BMW
9. (G)Máté SZÁMADÓ (HUN), BMW
10.Kevin ORGIS (GER), BMW
11.Milan MERCKELBAGH (NED), BMW
12. Maximilian KOFLER (AUT), Yamaha
13. Soma GÖRBE (HUN), BMW
14. (G) Ricardo BRINK (NLD), BMW
15. Twan SMITS (NLD), Yamaha