Despite the crash after qualifying—which left the fairing damaged and the handlebar stems bent—Andreas Kofler (Yamalube Motorsport Kofler) still secured pole position. The Austrian turned that pole position into a victory in the first race of the IDM “ Supersport ” at the Hockenheimring. This brings him one step closer to defending his title. He still needs five points to clinch it.
Blin (Ducati) holds his ground between Kofler (Yamaha) and Geiger (Honda)
Late Saturday afternoon, the 21-year-old Yamaha rider laid the groundwork for his second championship title. He now leads his closest rival, Dirk Geiger (MCA Racing) on a Honda, by 20 points in the overall standings. The lead is a good cushion, but it’s no guarantee.
Kofler took the lead right from the start. Daniel Blin (AF Racing) stayed right on his heels. Both made mistakes, but Blin still couldn't manage to take the lead. Geiger, meanwhile, struggled in third place against the Polish rider and his Ducati, to no avail. Yet he desperately needed to make up ground to keep his title hopes alive.
Fastest lap on worn tires
Blin couldn’t have cared less. The Ducati rider had absolutely nothing to do with the title race, didn’t have to worry about anyone else, and could do whatever he wanted. And he was determined to win. He hit the brakes way too late when he sensed Geiger’s attempt to pass. But Geiger had to get past somehow and ultimately managed to do so. The Mannheim native posted the fastest lap of the entire race on the final lap—on used tires. At the finish line, a razor-thin margin of just 0.085 seconds separated him from Kofler, who collected the full points for the victory. Even though Kofler now has 20 more points than Geiger, the title race is still wide open.
Guest driver Thomas Gradinger (Eder Racing) battled it out with Luca de Vleeschauer (Track an Trades Wixx Racing) for several laps, but ultimately came up short. Marvin Siebdrath (Yamalube Motorsport Kofler) moved up five spots. Julius Caesar Rörig (MCA Racing) crashed on the very first lap. Guest riders Damien Raemy (Eder Racing), Richard Irmscher (Racingteam Irmscher), and Peter Feigl (Genius Racing by MotoLife) also failed to see the checkered flag.
IDM Supersport, Race 1:
1. Andreas KOFLER (AUT), Yamaha
2. Dirk GEIGER (DEU), Honda
3. Daniel BLIN (POL), Ducati
4. Luca DE VLEESCHAUWER (BEL), Ducati
5. Lennox LEHMANN (DEU), Yamaha
6. Marcel BRENNER (CHE), Ducati
7. Marvin SIEBDRATH (GER), Yamaha
8. Thomas GRADINGER (AUT), Yamaha
9. Štěpán ZUDA (CZE), Ducati
10. Luca GÖTTLICHER (GER), Kawasaki
11. Dylan CZARKOWSKI (NED), Yamaha
12. Till Benedikt BELCZYKOWSKI (GER), MV Agusta
13. Ruben BIJMAN (NED), Honda
14. Thomas EDER (GER), Yamaha
15. Luca HAILFINGER (GER), Ducati