The International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) schedule was packed. At Zolder in Belgium, races were set to take place in three IDM premier classes. Due to two oil spills that could not be cleaned up within the allotted time, the event had to be shortened and ended early.
One race was held in the IDM Superbike 1000 class. Julian Puffe (alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW) and Erwan Nigon (Kawasaki Weber Motos Racing) had traveled to Belgium tied for first place in the standings. But Ilya Mikhalchik broke the dead heat. He won the race. The victory put the 22-year-old Ukrainian back on track in his quest to defend his title. Teammate Julian Puffe is now in second place, and Frenchman Nigon, who celebrated Kawasaki’s first victory in the IDM SBK 1000 in Oschersleben after a long hiatus, is now in third place.
Puffe and Mikhalchik had settled the battle for the lead between themselves. There was a gap behind them for a while. Nine seconds later, guest rider Dominik Vincon (BMW, EGS Moto Racing) crossed the finish line in third place. However, he did not receive any championship points. The points for the podium finish were awarded to fourth-place finisher Pepijn Bijsterbosch (BMW, Team Dutch Comfort Houses). Unlike Vincon, the Dutchman is a full-time IDM rider, which is a prerequisite for earning points.
Fifth-place finisher Ricardo Brink was the first non-BMW rider in the standings and brought home the most points for Yamaha. Oschersleben winner Erwan Nigon had a collision with Mark Weihe (MGM Racing Performance). Both crashed. Toni Finsterbusch (Suzuki Mayer) finished sixth ahead of Alex Polita (HRP-Honda).
Max Enderlein celebrated a start-to-finish victory in the first race of the IDM Supersport . With an excellent start, the 22-year-old from Saxony held the lead ahead of the strong Australian Tom Toparis. “Tom was very fast in the first sector, but the third sector suited me better. I had tuned my bike for that part of the track,” said the Freudenberg WorldSSP Team rider, describing the race from his perspective. Behind Enderlein and Toparis, Marc Buchner put in a strong performance. With a time of 1:35.258 minutes, he set the fastest lap of the race. The Yamaha rider from Königswinter finished third, half a second behind the Australian. “Up front, there were a few of us who had a really good pace. That speaks to the high level of this championship,” summarized race winner Enderlein.
In the Superstock 600 class, where modifications are somewhat more limited and which is open to riders with a B license, Dutch rider Joep Overbeeke celebrated his first IDM victory. However, he benefited from the retirement of class pole-setter Jan Schmidt. Moritz Jenkner, son of former Grand Prix rider Steve Jenkner, finished second. Belgian rider Tom Kohnen fought his way to third place in his home race.
Two races took place in the IDM Sidecar class. Events unfolded at a rapid pace. John Smits and Gunter Verbrugge started from pole position. The Dutch duo managed to hold onto the lead for three laps in the first race before seven-time world champion Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes moved in to take over. They entered the chicane side by side. It was too tight; Smits crashed into the front of Reeves’ sidecar. A piece of polyester broke off and, carried by the wind, landed directly on Smits’ visor, which was then ruined. The Dutchman had to finish the race without a visor: “At times, I couldn’t see a thing.” Finishing in fifth place at the checkered flag, Smits was ultimately very satisfied. After 13 laps, the result was decided. As always, there were separate classifications for the 600cc and 1000cc teams. In the smaller class, which is contested in the World Championship, Reeves/Wilkes won ahead of Schlosser/Fries and Streuer/Rousseau. In the 1000cc class, the victory went to Nussbaum/Hirschi. Smits/Verbrugge finished second, Roscher/Burkard third. In the second race, the world champion duo of Tim Reeves also dominated the 600cc class, securing their fourth consecutive victory. In the 1000cc class, Mike Roscher and his passenger Anna Burkard (LCR F1 BMW) won the race.
There was no champagne sprayed at the podium ceremonies. Just under two weeks ago, the IDM lost a fellow rider from the Supersport , Dennis Lippert, following a serious accident in Oschersleben. On Friday evening, the IDM racing community bid farewell to Dennis Lippert at the racetrack. He was honored with a lap of the circuit, a moment of silence, and the roar of engines.
The IDM in Zolder also served as the venue for the Suzuki GSX-R Cup, the Twin Cup, and the BMW Motorrad BoxerCup. In addition, the second European Suzuki GSX-R Meet took place. The Suzuki MotoGP team, featuring Alex Rins and Joan Mir, was there as a special guest.
Due to a large oil spill following the sidecar race and another oil spill after the formation lap of the IDM Supersport , the event had to be suspended, at least on the track. Rider safety was the top priority. Professional track cleanup would have thrown off the schedule. Despite our best efforts, it would not have been possible to continue the event within the allotted time frame. Racing is no longer permitted at Circuit Zolder after 5:30 p.m.