IDM SPB: Iglesias on Pole, Svendsen Demoted

Bright sunshine, a packed paddock, and a huge surprise on the timesheet: During Saturday’s qualifying session for the Sportbike class of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) in Schleiz, one name caught everyone’s attention: Inigo Iglesias. The Spaniard, brought in at the last minute as a replacement for the injured Luis Rammerstorfer on the Freudenberg RoRa-Paligo Racing team, promptly secured pole position in his impromptu outing.

Iglesias had already shown in Friday’s free practice sessions that he was a force to be reckoned with, securing two second-place finishes. But what the 22-year-old then achieved in the first qualifying session at the Schleizer Dreieck left the competition in awe: 1:30.999 minutes—and no one could beat it. Not even in the second qualifying session. “Everything went perfectly from the very first minute. The bike works really well here, and it’s just fun to ride in Schleiz,” said Iglesias, who will now start the first race on Saturday afternoon at 3:15 p.m. from pole position.

Svendsen reassigned

Oliver Svendsen (Triumph Germany Racing Team), the current championship leader, was supposed to start the race from second place. However, a missing tire marking in the first qualifying session resulted in the Dane being demoted three grid positions. Instead of starting from the front row, the Triumph rider will now have to tackle Saturday’s race from fifth place. A setback, but certainly no reason for the battle-hardened Svendsen to back down.

Home game for the Hanseatic team

Justin Hänse (Motorradtke GYTR by Penz13) was another standout. The 22-year-old from Harth-Pöllnitz knows the Schleizer Dreieck like the back of his hand—and made the most of his home-track advantage. With a strong lap time of 1:31.686, he secured third place on the grid for his Yamaha and put himself in the spotlight: “I just feel at home here. The fans, the track—it’s a special experience to race here.” Since Svendsen is starting further back, Hänse will start from second place this afternoon.

Svoboda remains steady, Nielsen surprises

Fourth on the grid is World Championship veteran Petr Svoboda (WRP Racing). The Czech rider, competing at Schleiz for the first time, delivered a calm but solid qualifying performance and is definitely a contender for the top spots on his Aprilia RS 660. Joining him on the second row is Cedric Holme Nielsen (Motorradtke GYTR by Penz13), an IDM rookie from Berlin who put in a remarkable performance to secure fifth place. Rounding out the second row is Ben Kugler (MotoLife), who also impressed with a strong pace as early as Friday.

The first race of the IDM Sportbike series starts on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. – live and free to stream at www.idm.de/live.

IDM Sportbike Qualifying 1+2 Results: