It’s 7,899 air miles there and just as many back. Ian Dublin travels from Malaysia for every race. The trip from Kuala Lumpur via Dubai to Frankfurt takes 18 hours, but the effort is worth it to the 17-year-old so he can race in the IDM Supersport 600. “He needs experience on a motorcycle. We chose the IDM because the tracks are safe. We’d also considered the BSB, but that seemed a bit too risky to us,” says his father. Dublin is already familiar with the IDM race tracks. Last year, he competed in the Yamaha R6 Dunlop Cup. His unorthodox riding style so far hasn’t always led to success, but the young rider stayed the course. His ultimate goal: the Supersport 600 World Championship. He can now focus entirely on his career. Dublin has graduated from college and, as a professional, is fully dedicated to training and racing. In Malaysia, he also races on a Yamaha in the 600cc class as part of the Superbike Championship. Instead of racing with the number “29” as he does in Germany, he races with the number “92” at home—exactly the opposite. Together with the six IDM events, Dublin will have competed in 22 races by the end of the year.
For Ian Dublin, each of his races in the IDM Supersport 600 means a trip halfway around the world. Text: Anke Wieczorek, Photo: Dino Eisele