In bright sunshine, spectators flocked to the Motodrom in Baden, where the IDM final traditionally takes place.
For Markus Reiterberger, it was his last major appearance in Germany's top motorcycle road racing series. The three-time Superbike champion is returning to the international top flight and will compete in the Superstock 1000 European Championship in 2018.
IDM Superbike 1000
After an initial bitter slump, the Bavarian recharged his batteries in the IDM at his own request. As expected, he bid farewell to his colleagues and fans with a BMW double victory.
Behind the already crowned champion, the battle for the runner-up title raged in Hockenheim. Yamaha factory rider Florian Alt arrived with the same number of points as Reiterberger's teammate and local hero Jan Bühn. Bühn's chances of finishing runner-up diminished after the first race, when he came fifth and Florian Alt finished second. He also had to give way to the Gummersbach native in the second race. That settled the matter.
Five motorcycle brands participated in the IDM in 2017: BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha. All of them made it into the top ten at least once last weekend. Kawasaki rider Lucy Glöckner, the only woman in the top class of German racing, had to settle for 14th place in the second race after a mediocre start, but fought her way forward and even managed to overtake Swiss rider Dominic Schmitter, a World Championship veteran, on his Suzuki in the final lap to take ninth place.
IDM Supersport 600
In the IDM Supersport 600, Thomas Gradinger from Austria had already secured the championship title. However, Kevin Wahr, who had long been one of the potential title contenders, stole the show in the final race. The Nagold native had to bury his hopes after a technical defect and a wrong decision in his tire choice. With a double victory at the end, however, Wahr showed that he can be counted on again at any time. Third place overall went to Max Enderlein from Saxony, who, like the winners, was riding a Yamaha.
IDM Supersport 300
The title in the small Supersport 300 class, in which young talent gets its chance, was still up for grabs. The decision had to be made between the two Freudenberg teammates Maximilian Kappler and Jan-Ole Jähnig. Jähnig had a 19-point lead, but Kappler, who has already competed three times in the World Championship at the Sachsenring, wanted to keep his chances alive. He won both races on his 20th birthday. However, it was not enough to win the title. Jähnig finished right behind him and was able to capitalize on his points tally. The 16-year-old goes down in IDM history as the first champion of the new class.
IDM Sidecar
In the IDM Sidecar class, Josef Sattler/Uwe Neubert finally managed to break through. They celebrated their first victory of the season, finishing ahead of the almost unbeatable champion duo Markus Schlosser/Thomas Hofer.
In the second race, the old order was restored. André Kretzer/Manfred Wechselberger secured the runner-up spot in the championship here.
In addition, points were contested in three cup classes. As usual, Hockenheim offered non-stop action both on and off the track. Will there be a reunion in 2018?
