Hockenheim Superpole 2: Reiterberger takes final pole, Tulovic slips

For the final time in the 2026 season, the six fastest riders from Friday’s Superbike PrePractice met on Saturday afternoon for Superpole 2. Lukas Tulovic, Jan-Ole Jähnig, Markus Reiterberger, Florian Alt, Marcel Schrötter and Toni Finsterbusch had put in strong performances on Friday and progressed directly to the final practice session. Hannes Soomer, Leon Orgis and Bálint Kovács had battled their way through Superpole 1 and, thanks to their times, had also secured a place in Superpole 2 and thus in the battle for starting positions in the first three rows.

The riders didn’t need much persuading and took to the track with fierce determination for the final practice session of the year – at least in the Euro Moto class. Jähnig was the first out on the track, and Marcel Schrötter – who had often started practice sessions a little later this season – was also there straight away. Schrötter – who is, as things stand, Tulovic’s closest challenger in the battle for the championship – was the fastest rider of the weekend so far that morning.

An uncharacteristic crash

Things got off to a bad start for Tulovic. The Ducati rider, who is usually so steady on the bike, crashed on his first timed lap. However, he was able to get back on his bike and ride into the pits under his own steam, where he was met by his mechanics. It took the German-Italian crew just a few minutes to get the Ducati back on the track. There were still six minutes of practice time left on the clock.

Meanwhile, Florian Alt emerged at the top of the timesheets with a time of 1:24.529. Following his rather lacklustre races at Assen and the Nürburgring, his HRP Honda clearly felt much more at home at the Hockenheimring. Behind him, the BMW contingent – comprising Finsterbusch, Reiterberger, Leon Orgis, Jähnig and Schrötter – followed. Schrötter, who had already impressed on Friday with a race-distance run and top times, edged past his team-mate Finsterbusch into second place. The Bavarian didn’t stay there for long, however, and set the fastest time with a lap of 1.24.342 minutes.

The world champion works his magic

But just a few bike lengths behind him, a very fast Markus Reiterberger whizzed past the timing gate, having conjured up a lap time of 1:24.198 minutes. With two minutes remaining, Tulovic had moved into sixth place with a time of 1:24.803. As before, all nine riders, right down to Kovács, were within one second of one another.

Topic of the week

Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring: track – hit or miss?

The people of Madrid had set their sights high for their city’s first Formula 1 World Championship race since 1981. But have the high expectations for the new Madring mixed-circuit track really been met?

Mathias Brunner

Read More

All riders stayed out on the track right up to the last minute, but were unable to change their positions. The final pole position went to Markus Reiterberger, the four-time IDM Superbike champion and, since last week, also World Endurance Champion. Joining him on the front row were Marcel Schrötter and Jan-Ole Jähnig. The second row was made up of Alt, Finsterbusch – who went down on the final lap – and defending champion Lukas Tulovic. The third row was taken by the riders from Superpole 1: Leon Orgis, Hannes Soomer and Bálint Kovacs.