Superstars and a great atmosphere. The third event of the season in the International German Championship (IDM) had a special flair. Suzuki stars Kevin Schwantz, the 1993 500cc World Champion, and current MotoGP rider Alex Rins watched the action in Zolder and mingled with the fans. In the IDM Superbike 1000 class, the title race has reignited after some nerve-wracking moments. And one thing in particular was making the rounds: the IDM will also take place in 2019. Motor Presse Stuttgart, as the promoter and organizer of the series, is already giving everyone involved the green light to plan for another season.
“IDM 2019 is an integral part of Motor Presse Stuttgart’s business operations,”
“That’s what Matthias Schröter, who is pulling the strings on site as head of the MOTORRAD action team, assures us. ‘The first dates and race tracks have already been set. We’ll definitely be racing at Hockenheim and Assen. In addition, German Speedweek in Oschersleben is set to be expanded into a motorcycle festival featuring all IDM classes.’”
IDM Superbike 1000
The title race is reignited. After Ilya Mikhalchik’s victory in the first race, it looked as though the Ukrainian had a permanent spot on the top step of the podium. Even his biggest rival, local hero Bastien Mackels, fell short by 0.025 seconds. Teammate Julian Puffe secured a BMW triple triumph on the podium. Stefan Kerschbaumer ( MPB Racing) brought the first Yamaha across the finish line in fourth place. The brands lined up in perfect order. Suzuki rider Dominic Schmitter finished fifth after fighting his way up the field position by position. Jan Halbich followed in sixth place as the first Honda rider. Lucy Glöckner, Kawasaki’s powerhouse, finished tenth, leaving even her brand-mate Mathieu Gines ( Weber Motos) from the Endurance World Championship behind her.
The second IDM Superbike race ended with a major surprise after Mikhalchik was sent into the gravel by an overzealous competitor right in the first corner and had to start a comeback. After 17 laps, Bastien Mackels and his Yamaha teammates Stefan Kerschbaumer and Daniel Kartheininger ( MPB Racing) took the podium. For Kartheininger, it was his first podium finish since 2013. No one had expected this outcome. Mikhalchik finished fourth, having gained two positions due to riders crashing out. The turmoil is really ramping up the excitement in the title race.
IDM Supersport 600
Marc Buchner is the new leader here. He overtook Kevin Wahr, who even dropped back to third place. The rider from Nagold struggled with technical issues in Belgium and even had to borrow a motorcycle to minimize the damage. In second place is Max Enderlein from Saxony, who won both races at Zolder.
IDM Supersport 300
In the smallest IDM class, the same young riders stood on the podium after both races, just in a different order. Toni Erhard, who is third in the overall standings as the top German rider, finished third in both races, but Victor Steeman and Dion Otten shared the victories. After four races, Dutch rider Steeman leads the IDM Supersport 300 standings with 90 points, ahead of his compatriot Otten, who has 67 championship points. Erhard is just a hair behind with 65 points.
IDM Sidecar
Defending champion Bennie Streuer leads the standings with his co-driver Gerard Daalhuizen . Josef Sattler and Uwe Neubert appeared to have won both races at Zolder, but the German team was disqualified after the second race. Irregularities were found in the engine during the technical inspection. Sattler is appealing the decision. As things stand, Streuer is the winner.
With the Twin 700 Cup and the Suzuki GSX-R 1000 Cup on the supporting program, the third IDM weekend offered spectators a complete package. Especially since Suzuki, as an IDM pool partner, had decided to host the first European Suzuki GSX-R meet in conjunction with the IDM. Special guest Kevin Schwantz was particularly enthusiastic; he chatted during the IDM Paddock Talk, signed T-shirts and motorcycles, and watched the Superbike race from the commentary booth. His comment: “A fantastic, well-organized championship. Absolutely.”