Pirelli, the tire supplier for the IDM premier classes for solo motorcycles, has announced details of its youth development program. All three 2018 IDM champions will receive a wild card to compete in a World Championship race in their respective classes.
IDM Superbike 1000 Champion Ilya Mikhalchik (BMW) is setting his sights on a World Championship race in late summer. The 22-year-old Ukrainian has not yet announced which race it will be.
The IDM Champion—Supersport 600, Max Enderlein (Yamaha) from Hohenstein-Ernstthal, is planning to race at Imola (May 10–12). The 22-year-old from Saxony will thus use his wild card one week before the 2019 IDM season opener at the Lausitzring.
Toni Erhard (KTM), the champion in the IDM-Supersport 300, has also chosen to race in Italy at the Misano round (June 21–23). Although the IDM is taking place in Zolder that same weekend, the IDM SSP 300 will not be racing at the Belgian track because many participants do not yet meet the minimum age requirement there. The 18-year-old talent from Schwarzenberg is now using this weekend for his first World Championship race.
“We were determined to keep our promise to the riders and have now done everything in our power to secure World Championship wild cards for the 2019 season,” explains Björn Lohmann, who is responsible for Pirelli Germany’s racing activities. “I’m very pleased that it worked out, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how our guys will perform there.”