After setting the fastest times in free practice, Florian Alt capped off Friday at Oschersleben. The Honda CBR 1000R-RR rider was also the fastest EURO MOTO Superbike rider in the Superpole pre-practice session. But the big question is: Has Tulo already shown his hand on the Ducati?
Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) posted a time of 1:24.251 in the Superpole pre-practice session. Tulovic (Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt) trailed by three-tenths of a second. Will it stay that way until the end of the event in the Magdeburger Börde? Tulo looks almost a little too relaxed for that. Meanwhile, in the Honda pit, they’re speaking plainly. During two tests leading up to the EURO MOTO round, the team focused primarily on improving the Honda’s endurance over the 66.006-kilometer race distance. Team boss Jens Holzhauer speculates, however, that Tulo might still end up being stronger than Alt in the end.
Markus Reiterberger (Masteroil Alpha Van Zon BMW) is also looking to bounce back. His last appearance on the 3.667-km circuit was four years ago. Here, however, he hopes to finally put behind him the bitter aftertaste of Most, where he finished well below expectations with two seventh-place finishes in the two main races. Team boss Werner Daemen believes he knows the reason why no BMWs made it onto the podium at all in the Czech Republic. “The Pirelli tire—which all teams had to use to make it through the grueling heat over the full distance—didn’t suit our motorcycle at all.” In Oschersleben, riders will once again be able to choose from several different compounds. Reiterberger has set his sights on becoming the fastest BMW rider this weekend.
When Daemen looks at the Superbike class, he sees four riders who stand out: Lukas Tulovic, Florian Alt, Marcel Schrötter (GERT56), and Markus Reiterberger. “They’re world-class and really belong in the World Championship.” And the Belgian adds: “The competitive level in the EURO MOTO Superbike is extremely high. Two years ago, it seemed impossible to post lap times in the 1:25 range. Now we’re already below that.”
The four riders mentioned, along with Jan-Ole Jähnig (GERT56) and Kevin Orgis (ORM Racing), qualified during Superpole Pre-Practice for direct entry into Superpole 2. All other riders must first compete in Superpole 1, where the final three spots for the final qualifying session in Superpole 2 will be decided. That session will ultimately determine the starting grid for the first three rows of Sunday’s two Superbike races.
Superpole Pre-Practice
1. Florian ALT (GER/Honda)
2. Lukas TULOVIC (GER/Ducati)
3. Marcel SCHRÖTTER (GER/BMW)
4. Markus REITERBERGER (GER/BMW)
5. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER/BMW)
6. Kevin ORGIS (GER/BMW)
7. Twan SMITS (NLD/Yamaha)
8. Leon ORGIS (GER/BMW)
9. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER/BMW)
10. Jan MOHR (AUT/BMW)
11. Marco FETZ (GER/BMW)
12. Lorenzo ZANETTI (ITA/Ducati)
13. Milan MERCKELBAGH (NLD/BMW)
14. Christoph BEINLICH (GER/BMW)