Today’s Superpole pre-practice session was just the prelude to tomorrow’s Superpole showdown in the IDM Superbike series. Twelve riders have already qualified for the battle for the top grid positions—and all of them were within one second of each other. Ten of them alone posted lap times of 1:25 minutes at the Hockenheimring.
Jan-Ole Jähnig (GERT56 by RS Speedbikes), Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion), Hannes Soomer (Masteroil Alpha Van Zon BMW), Leon Orgis (ORM Racing), and Lukas Tulovic (Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt) were all in the mix. But at the end of the half-hour Superpole Pe practice session, Bálint Kovács (Masteroil Alpha Van Zon BMW) set the fastest time with 1:25.189 min.
Lukas Tulovic, another standout rider, said he hadn’t slowed down at all. The 25-year-old Panigale V4R rider needs just nine more points to clinch the IDM Superbike title, “but we’re lacking a bit of track time, and we’re not quite where we want to be with the setup yet.” Tulovic wants to cap off the season with a victory.
Superpole Pre-Practice Results: Bálint KOVÁCS (BMW), Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (BMW), Hannes SOOMER (BMW), Florian ALT (Honda), Toni FINSTERBUSCH (BMW), Lukas TULOVIC (Ducati), Leon ORGIS (BMW), Maximilian KOFLER (Yamaha), Leandro MERCADO (BMW), Soma GÖRBE (BMW), Twan SMITS (Yamaha), Milan MERCKELBAGH (BMW).
Görbe loses championship points
Meanwhile, Soma Görbe (BCI MW) received a severe penalty. Because he exceeded the engine limit, the Hungarian rider must start from the very back of the grid in Sunday’s two Superbike races. The six-time top-ten finisher then attempted to reinstall a used engine, but the technical commissioners discovered that the engine’s seal had been broken. Görbe was stripped of the results he achieved in Schleiz and Most. The BMW rider had 24 championship points deducted.
Klinck's debut appearance has come to an end
Felix Klinck (Skach Motors Kawasaki Racing) is no longer in the lineup. His first Superbike race—the first of his 25-year racing career—had been a dream come true. The adventure was short-lived, however. The 29-year-old from Ketsch crashed during the first free practice session on his home track. While the Kawasaki sustained only minor damage, Klinck was forced to withdraw from the race entirely. He fractured the radial head in his right elbow.