Lukas “Tulo” Tulovic dreamed of a start-to-finish victory on his brand-new Ducati. That was the plan. In practice at the Sachsenring, the 25-year-old defending champion had already broken the track record set two years ago. Twan Smits, riding the only Yamaha in the field, threw a wrench in his plans. That Tulo won in the end came as no surprise, but Superbike rookie Marcel Schrötter’s second-place finish ahead of four-time champion Markus Reiterberger was all the more surprising. The two had battled it out with Hannes Soomer for the remaining two podium spots.
Tulovic (Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt) led a solo race from the second lap onward. It was to be expected that he would catch up to Twan Smits, who had made a strong start, by the second lap. After his performance in qualifying, Tulo was considered a shoo-in for the win. Defending the title is the main goal given the strong Ducati lineup. Anything other than a win to kick off the season would have been a disappointment. However, it wasn’t clear beforehand that the lead would be 4.8 seconds, though it hadn’t been ruled out either.
At the podium ceremony, there were shouts of joy, tears, and laughter. The GERT56 by RS Speedbikes team embraced one another, and the tears flowed freely. Four months after the sudden death of team boss Karsten “KW” Wolf, rookie Marcel Schrötter of all people made it onto the podium. That would have been right up “KW’s” alley; he had placed great hopes in the former World Championship rider. However, no one had expected Schrötter to perform so impressively. Even before the first race, the 33-year-old BMW rider said: “Every time I get on the bike, I discover something new. But the short practice sessions aren’t enough to get a feel for it. I don’t have the right feel for the bike yet, and the level among the top nine is high. That’s why I don’t like starting from seventh place.” After his triumphant ride, the Bavarian was like a different person. “I had no idea what would happen in my first Superbike race, especially with the tires. My position is a gift to ‘KW.’ The team and the bike are working well. And the new ‘Kutscher’ did his part.”
He had battled it out for laps on end with Hannes Soomer and Markus Reiterberger (both Masteroil Alpha Van Zon BMW). The Estonian had long been considered a contender for second place. Despite several attempts, Reiterberger was also unable to get past his teammate, only managing to do so at the very end when Schrötter slipped through. “We still have a lot of potential,” Reiterberger, who is still far from top form, announced.
Twan Smits (Team Apreco), who had led early on, ended up finishing behind Kevin Orgis, who hails from the Saxon family-run ORM Racing team. And where was Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion), the 2023 champion who had put Honda back in the headlines back then? He had suspected—or rather feared—it: 8th place. “We don’t currently have the sharpest blade in the field,” he had announced. “We’re at a higher level than ever before, but BMW has a new chassis, Ducati a completely new motorcycle, and Yamaha three concession parts. We’ll have to see how we can handle that.” Honda’s current base motorcycle dates back to 2020 and has received various updates so far. A truly new model will be introduced in 2027.
Jan-Ole Jähnig (GERT56 by RS Speedbikes) hit a snag. He couldn’t wait for the new season to start and jumped the gun. The double long-lap penalty cost him about six seconds.
EURO MOTO SUPERBIKE, Round 1
1. Lukas TULOVIC (GER/Ducati)
2. Marcel SCHRÖTTER (GER/BMW)
3. Markus REITERBERGER (GER/BMW)
4. Hannes SOOMER (GER/BMW)
5. Kevin ORGIS (GER/BMW)
6. Twan SMITS (NLD/Yamaha)
7. Lorenzo ZANETTI (ITA/Ducati)
8. Florian ALT (GER/Honda)
9. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER/BMW)
10.Jan MOHR (AUT/BMW)
11.Leon ORGIS (GER/BMW)
12. Soma GÖRBE (HUN/BMW)
13. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER/BMW)
14. Marco FETZ (GER/BMW)
15. Milan MERCKELBAGH (NED/BMW)
16.Christoph BEINLICH (GER/BMW)
17.Patrick HOBELSBERGER (GER/Honda)