Damian Cudlin was unstoppable at the Lausitzring, riding his BMW to two wins and taking the IDM Superbike points lead. Image: Superbike-IDM.de.

Damian Cudlin has opened his 2013 IDM Superbike Championship in dominant fashion, taking two wins from two starts at the Lausitzring over the weekend.

The former IDM titleist joined the RAC Racing Team team for a full assault on the 2013 season after an impressive win as a guest rider in the final round of 2012.

With over a decade of international racing experience under his belt, the Australian was always going to be a formidable competitor, especially aboard the proven BMW S 1000 RR package.

Qualifying in third, Cudlin was fourth off the line in the opening race, working his way forward as the laps ticked over. When one of the leading machines crashed and another was hobbled by mechanical problems, Cudlin was quick to pounce, taking and holding the lead until the wave of the chequered flag.

In race two Cudlin went to battle against Yamaha rider Matej Smrz, shadowing the Czech rider before making a decisive pass for the lead on lap 13.

Again he was able to maintain the advantage, a second race win sealing an ideal start to his 2013 campaign.

“This was a perfect weekend,” said Cudlin. “In the first race I tried to save my tyres until lap eight and then I pushed as hard as I could.

“I was surprised to find the Dunlop race tyres were actually better than those we were qualifying on and had a lot of confidence to push.

“I was ready for Smrz to try to counter in the second race when I passed him, but took a deep breath and kept on with it.”

It was a solid weekend for countryman Gareth Jones, who made solid inroads on his Monster Energy Yamaha after qualifying in tenth position.

Jones was fourth in race one and sixth in race two, claiming fourth overall for the weekend and adding 23 points to his championship campaign.

In the Superstock class Alex Phillis took a strong third-place finish in the opening race but failed to finish the second.

In the Supersport field Jed Metcher took fifth place in the opening 15-lap race but, like Phillis, also recorded a DNF to round out the day.

The second round of the IDM Superbike Championship will be held at the Zolder circuit from 10-12 May.

2013 IDM German Superbike Championship
Round One – Lausitzring

Overall Results:
1. Damian Cudlin 50
2. Erwan Nigon 36
3. Markus Reiterberger 29
4. Gareth Jones 23
5. Kevin Valk 22
6. Matej Smrz 20
7. Stefan Nebel 19
8. Freddy Foray 17
9. Roland Resch 15
10. Arie Vos 12

Click here for detailed results