Leaning back, completely relaxed Toni Erhard sitting in a camping chair, looking at his with a confident smile on his face KTM. The approximately 52 PS Supersport 300-The bike stands ready under the white awning, just a few hours before the decisive race of the championship. The 17-year-old high school senior has apparently taken the season’s only DNF—following a crash the day before—in stride. Going into the decisive race, he still holds a solid 22-point lead over his closest rival, Dion Otten.
The mood within the entire family team is good. Erhard needs this atmosphere, which his parents, Jana and Thiemo, create during race weekends. “Things are always laid-back with us,” says Erhard. “It can’t be too intense—that’s not my style.” The familiar environment is one of the secrets to the new champion’s success, as he secured the title with a second-place finish in the season’s final race. His tenth IDM podium finish is a testament to his remarkably consistent results throughout the season.
After a slow start, the talented rider from Saxony is really picking up steam. “I had the speed right from the start,” recalls the high school graduate. “But the competition had more experience than I did at the beginning.” It’s fitting, given Erhard’s love for familiar territory, that his breakthrough came at the Sachsenring. There, he won the guest race held as part of the German Grand Prix against World Championship rider and the previous year’s IDM champion, Jan-Ole Jähnig. In the IDM, he followed that up with a second-place finish and a victory at the Lausitzring, as well as a one-two finish at Assen.
With his string of victories, he overtakes Victor Steeman, who had been in the lead until then, and takes the lead in the overall standings heading into the season finale. Suddenly, the Saxon is the favorite in the championship race. For the decisive race at Hockenheim, he can rely on one of his strengths: “I don’t need much practice to be fast.” With the race weekends so tightly packed, the Kiefer Racing Team driver has hardly any opportunity to test.
Even so, he’s the picture of calm on his race bike: “He always keeps his cool,” says his mother, Jana, as she continues to praise her son: “He also approaches things in a very structured way.” She, too, has no doubt ahead of the decisive race that Toni will clinch the championship title. In addition to his parents and his mechanic, the Kiefer Racing Team is also part of his family. “It’s always nice to talk to Jochen Kiefer,” says Erhard. “You really feel like you’re part of the family. Kiefer Racing is a well-known name, which of course helps when it comes to sponsor talks.”
The biggest surprise awaits Toni Erhard after he crosses the finish line for the last time. His team manager, Jochen Kiefer, has made a surprise trip to Hockenheim and witnessed his protégé’s championship-winning performance in person. With a deeply satisfied smile, Erhard accepts his congratulations. His plans for the upcoming season take him back to familiar territory: After graduating from Bertolt-Brecht-Gymnasium in Schwarzenberg, Toni Erhard intends to defend his IDM title in the Supersport 300 class.