Who’s in pole position at Most? Lukas Tulovic has once again put Ducati at the top of the EURO MOTO Superbike standings. Will that hold true in both races tomorrow, Sunday? “It won’t be easy,” Tulovic admits, “the conditions are extreme, and I’m used to a lot.”
Tulo can’t rest on his lap time of 1:32.519 minutes from Superpole 2. That put him just 0.176 seconds ahead of Marcel Schrötter. Just a few minutes earlier, the BMW rider had to endure the rigors of Superpole 1 to make it into the top three. Only that allowed him to advance to Superpole 2, where the final positions on the first three starting rows are determined. Schrötter qualified for the front row. Things couldn’t have gone better for the Superbike rookie. The fact that Twan Smits is also on the front row makes the battle at the top even more interesting, as this combination features three different motorcycle brands at the front: Ducati, BMW, and Yamaha.
The Ducati from Triple M Racing Frankfurt is performing solidly at Most, though not at its best. “There are some minor issues with the suspension, but we have them under control,” the defending champion hints, adding, “Of course I want to win, but it won’t be a walk in the park like it was at the Sachsenring.”
Things aren’t going quite smoothly for Markus Reiterberger (Masteroil Alpha Van Zon BMW), the race winner in Brno, either. “The bike just isn’t working,” the crowd favorite shrugged. “We haven’t really improved. We’re doing a lot, but things are actually getting worse.” Reiti sums it up clearly: “I’m riding my ass off and nothing’s happening.” But as always, the four-time Superbike champion will find a solution in the end.
Since Jan-Ole Jähnig had also qualified for Superpole 2 alongside Schrötter, the entire GERT56 team is now represented on the first three starting rows. Finsterbusch was the only one of the trio to qualify directly. However, his two teammates never doubted that they would make it through Superpole 1. Yesterday, the suspension on Jähnig’s BMW M 1000 RR was still being tweaked—“it just takes a little longer under these conditions.” Jähnig describes what it feels like on the bike in the heat: “On the start-finish line, the air blows up really hot. After six laps, you’d theoretically have to stick your feet out to let the airflow get to them.” The only Honda rider, Florian Alt (HRP), said: “When you pull into the pits, you can’t even touch the shock absorber. It’s 80 to 90 degrees. These are problems we’re not used to.”
Patrick Hobelsberger is no longer part of the group. He has withdrawn.
1. Lukas TULOVIC (GER/Ducati)
2. Marcel SCHRÖTTER (GER/BMW)
3. Twan SMITS (NED/Yamaha)
4. Hannes SOOMER (EST/BMW)
5. Florian ALT (GER/Honda)
6. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER/Honda)
7. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER/BMW)
8. Markus REITERBERGER (GER/BMW)
9. Leon ORGIS (GER/BMW)
10. Kevin ORGIS (GER/BMW)
11. Jan MOHR (AUT/BMW)
12. Soma GÖRBE (HUN/BMW)
13.Lorenzo ZANETTI (ITA/Ducati)
14.Marco FETZ (GER/BMW)
15.Christoph BEINLICH (GER/BMW)
16.Milan MERCKELBAGH (NED/BMW)
17.Patrick HOBELSBERGER (GER/Honda)