The KTM-Pilot Toni Erhard is the new champion in the IDM Supersport 300. With his second-place finish in the final race of the season at the Hockenheimring, the 17-year-old high school senior from Schwarzenberg-Pöhla won the overall championship in the IDM junior class. “I never doubted during the race that I would win the title. After all, I was always in the leading group,” Erhard reports. “Unlike yesterday’s race, I played it safe today.” In the first race of the IDM finale, the Kiefer Racing Team’s highly talented rider crashed while in the lead and was unable to score any points. His closest rival Dion Otten moves up to second place in the championship with a one-two finish at Hockenheim. With the maximum haul of 50 points, the 15-year-old Honda-The driver from Assen is still his compatriot Victor Steeman, who is skipping the IDM opener in favor of the World Championship final in France.
Behind Erhard and Otten, Max Schmidt on his KTM delivers his strongest performance of the season. The 15-year-old from Wuppertal even leads the field at one point. The 2017 ADAC Junior Cup overall champion worked his way up from fifth on the grid to join the leading quartet. However, after experiencing minor issues with the powertrain, Schmidt crossed the finish line in third place. Nevertheless, he and his GAP Junior Team are overjoyed with their first IDM podium finish.
The successful IDM junior riders are already looking ahead to the new season: The new IDM champion Toni Erhard and his main rival Dion Otten are planning to compete in the IDM Supersport 300 next season. “We’re focusing on the IDM, but it could also be the World Championship—we’ll see,” says runner-up Otten. In addition to defending his title, Erhard will also be taking his high school graduation exams next year. “I’ll need time for that,” says Erhard, who also has his sights set on vocational training alongside his racing career.