Oschersleben: Just 14 riders on the grid – fastest time on Friday for Florian Alt

Shortly before the halfway point of the 2026 season, on Sunday between Races 1 and 2 of the Euro Moto Superbike, the already sparse field had shrunk even further. There were still 14 riders competing at Oschersleben. Patrick Hobelsberger was missing, having ended his season early following a disastrous campaign and the withdrawal of his main sponsor. The Hungarian rider Soma Görbe faced a similar fate when it came to sponsorship.

“After the weekend at Most, my main sponsor left the team, so for financial reasons I can’t compete in the remaining Euro Moto races,” explained Görbe, who had already scored 24 points in the opening races. “Of course, this is a huge disappointment for me, but I’m not giving up. I’ll continue to compete in the Endurance World Championship with all my might and do my best to achieve the best possible results. Many thanks to everyone for your support, encouragement and for standing by me so far. I’m confident that this is just a temporary setback and that I’ll soon be back at full strength.” This means that, following Bálint Kovács – who had been unable to find an affordable ride for 2026 – the last Hungarian rider has now also left the class.

Hannes Soomer from Team Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW has also withdrawn from the races at Oschersleben. He is still struggling with the shoulder injury he sustained at the EWC race in Japan.

First free practice: Florian Alt sets the pace

For the BMW riders Marco Fetz and Christoph Beinlich, the first practice session at the Motorsportarena Oschersleben went rather poorly. Fetz crashed after just a few minutes, but at first glance appeared to have come through the crash unscathed. At least he had managed to complete four laps beforehand. Christoph Beinlich was unable to do the same. After the first sector of his first timed lap, it was all over for him. He spent the rest of the session in his pit and did not appear on the timesheet again.

At the top of the timesheets, Honda rider Florian Alt set the fastest time of 1:25.244. Markus Reiterberger followed in his BMW, 0.437 minutes behind. Third place went to Lukas Tulovic with a time of 1:25.982.

Practice proved to be a struggle for the injured Marcel Schrötter (BMW) and the Dutch Yamaha rider Twan Smits, who finished in 11th and 12th places respectively.

Second free practice: Florian Alt steps up a gear

After the short lunch break, the battle for the fastest time became a little less entertaining to watch. At the top of the timesheets, Lukas Tulovic, Markus Reiterberger and Florian Alt engaged in the first round of exchanges. All three riders were clocking times in the 1.25-minute range, separated by just tenths or hundredths of a second. All 14 participants were out on track. Fetz had recovered well from his crash that morning, and Beinlich was finally ready to race too.

In the end, the fastest rider was Florian Alt (Honda) with a time of 1.24.554 minutes, ahead of Lukas Tulovic (Ducati) and his time of 1.24.960 minutes. Third place went to Markus Reiterberger (BMW) with a time of 1.25.184 minutes.

Pre-Practice: Alt on top again

In the afternoon, the 30-minute pre-practice session determined the first part of the starting grid, although, with just 14 participants, the tension was admittedly limited. The fastest six secured their places in Saturday’s Superpole 2 straight away. After just the first five minutes, 1.24-minute times were coming thick and fast. Tulovic, Reiterberger, Jan-Ole Jähnig and the two Orgi brothers, Kevin and Leon, were setting a brisk pace. Alt also joined the 1.24 club.

Milan Merckelbagh had a bit of bad luck and ended up in the gravel trap, but emerged unscathed. After the first quarter of an hour, Florian Alt had taken the lead and built up a three-tenths advantage over his closest rivals, Tulovic and Reiterberger. Schrötter had moved past the Orgis brothers to take fifth place.

Not much happened in the final minutes. Alt’s time stood. He will be joined in Superpole 2 by Tulovic, Reiterberger, Schrötter, Jähnig and Kevin Orgis. Everyone else will complete a few more laps in Superpole 1.