The penultimate IDM event of the 2018 season was hard to beat in terms of the ups and downs at the Assen circuit. Four premier classes were on the starting grid in the Netherlands. In two of them, there were changes at the top of the standings. In three weeks at Hockenheim, Motor Presse Stuttgart, as the series promoter, will present a very special finale. In all classes of the International German Motorcycle Championship , the title race is still undecided. We haven’t seen that in a long time.
Whereas in the past at least one champion was already crowned before the final, things are completely different now. The IDM features a top-notch field, and the outcome remains uncertain until the very end. In the top class IDM Superbike 1000However, at the track where the motorcycle manufacturers have their playground with their high-performance machines, Ukrainian rider Ilya Mikhalchik (alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW) has further paved his way to the title. He holds a 31-point lead over Belgian rider Bastien Mackels (Wilbers-BMW) in the overall standings. He is the only rider who can still prevent Mikhalchik from clinching the title, which is becoming increasingly within reach. But Mackels, of all people, made a mistake. He jumped the start too early in the second Superbike race of the weekend and received a drive-through penalty through the pit lane. This briefly dropped the 33-year-old from first position to 16th place. By the end of the race, Mackels had managed to salvage seven championship points after a comeback, while Mikhalchik also had to admit defeat. The race was won by Lorenzo Lanzi from Italy on the MGM-Yamaha.
For the first time this year, there was no BMW victory. And the team that managed to pull this off was, of all teams, the one that had recently been left without a rider. The whole situation also turned out to be an advantage for Mackels, as Lanzi’s victory simultaneously prevented Mikhalchik from securing the full points. Five brands are represented in the IDM Superbike 1000: BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha. There is no doubt that the title will go to a BMW rider. Dominic Schmitter (Suzuki) is the first rider on a different make to hold fourth place in the overall standings.
In the IDM Supersport 600 Max Enderlein (Freudenberg Racing) would have had every chance of clinching the title early had he not crashed during free practice. The Yamaha rider broke his collarbone and was forced to head home. The Saxon underwent surgery over the weekend and hopes to be reasonably fit again by the season finale. The 22-year-old Yamaha rider’s large lead over his pursuers has since shrunk to twelve points. And his biggest rival is no longer Marc Buchner, but Daniel Rubin. There were several changes in the overall standings at Assen. For Kevin Wahr, who started the season as the clear favorite, the title race is over following a technical disqualification.
The separate Superstock 600 Class The class, which features riders on bikes that are even closer to production models, is currently led by Marco Fetz (Yamaha). Here, too, the final word has not yet been spoken. Also still in contention for the title are Moritz Jenkner, the son of former Grand Prix rider Steve Jenkner, and Stefan Ströhlein, who won a race at Assen.
In the youth division IDM Supersport 300 Toni Erhard is the new leader. 
The German rider struck a chord with the Dutch crowd on their home track and won both races. After just the first race, the 17-year-old high school graduate from Saxony had overtaken the heavy favorite, Victor Steeman, to take the lead in the overall standings. Ten points separate the two KTM riders.
Steeman was still reeling from an incident. He rolled up to the starting grid too late and, instead of lining up on the front row, had to start at the very back and work his way up through the field.
In the IDM Sidecar There was a change at the top, as both races at Assen turned into a triumphant run for Josef Sattler and Uwe Neubert (Adolf RS1 F1 BMW). With their double victory this weekend, the Bavarian-Saxon duo now holds a 20-point lead over defending champions Bennie Streuer and Gerard Daalhuizen (LCR F1 Suzuki), who were absent this time because they were competing in the Sidecar World Championship in Rijeka, which was taking place at the same time. The final showdown will take place in Hockenheim from September 28 to 30, 2018.
The morning pit walk, public award ceremonies in front of the paddock, and test rides on the €80,000 BMW HP4 proved to be a major draw for spectators at the TT Circuit in Assen and have left everyone wanting more. IDM fans should therefore not miss the decisive final round of the season.