The International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) wrapped up the 2019 season with a dream weekend. The thrilling races served as the best possible advertisement for motorcycle racing in Germany. Guest rider Marvin Fritz (Neckarzimmern, Yamaha, Bayer Bikerbox) provided the dramatic finale. The 26-year-old 2016 IDM Superbike 1000 champion overtook two-time champion Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR, BMW, alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW) with an incredible maneuver in the final corner of the race. With a 0.272-second lead, Fritz crossed the finish line ahead of the two-time champion. Around 17,000 spectators watched the IDM finale at the Motodrom in Baden.
In the IDM Supersport 300 junior class, Angelo Licciardi (BEL, Kawasaki, Benjan Racing – Weber Motos) clinched the title in the very first race. A third-place finish was all the 21-year-old needed. Dutch rider Rick Dunnik (NLD, Yamaha, ZUWI-HDRacing) cemented his runner-up position with his third win of the season and a second-place finish.
The final championship decision wasn't decided until the last race of the weekend: In the IDM Sidecars, Andres Nussbaumer and Manuel Hirschi (CHE, LCR-Suzuki, Sidecar Team Hirschi’s Sense) won the title in the 1000cc class ahead of Mike Roscher and Anna Burkard (Großalmerode/CHE, LCR-BMW, RSC-Racing Roscher-Burkard-Penz13). The extremely exciting championship races of the IDM finale were broadcast via livestream for the first time. It was the largest live broadcast in the history of Germany’s premier motorcycle road racing series.
IDM guest rider Marvin Fritz added some excitement right from the first race of the premier IDM Superbike 1000 class. The Yamaha rider broke up the leading BMW duo of Ilya Mikhalchik and Bastien Mackels (BEL, BMW, Wilbers-BMW-Racing) and finished second. Mikhalchik, who had already clinched the championship title, celebrated his eleventh victory of the season. Behind third-place finisher Mackels, Swiss champion Dominic Schmitter (CHE, Yamaha, HESS Racing) took fourth place, with a razor-thin lead of 0.059 seconds over Marc Moser (Frankfurt a.M., Yamaha, MGM Racing Performance).
The two Yamaha riders also delivered a thrilling finish in the second race. Moser took the lead on the opening lap but then dropped a few positions and ultimately finished fourth, just 0.163 seconds behind Dominic Schmitter. The Swiss rider started from the back of the field and sensationally managed to finish third.
Due to the track still being partially wet, the start had been postponed, and all teams used the time to switch to dry tires and adjust their setups. However, work on the motorcycles took too long for Julian Puffe, Pepijn Bijsterbosch, and Bastien Mackels. They each received a 20-second penalty: Mackels consequently lost his third-place position and dropped back to eighth. The penalties had no impact on the final standings for second and third place in the championship, however: Julian Puffe (Schleiz, BMW, Alpha Racing Van Zon BMW) finished as runner-up ahead of Pepijn Bijsterbosch (NLD, BMW, Team Dutch Comfort Houses).
Behind the BMW trio, endurance world champion Erwan Nigon (FRA, Kawasaki, Weber-Motos Racing Team) managed to climb into fourth place. The Frenchman is thus the top non-BMW rider in the premier class. He finished two points ahead of Alessandro Polita (ITA, Honda, Holzhauer Racing Promotion). The Italian had gone into both races at a disadvantage after a crash in qualifying.
In the IDM Supersport 600 class, Luca Grünwald (Waldkraiburg, Kawasaki, Schnock Team Motorex) made history this weekend. The former World Championship rider had missed several IDM races due to two injuries. In the first race, the 24-year-old Kawasaki rider secured third place on the podium, though it was a photo finish with a margin of just 0.008 seconds over Daniel Rubin (Schwanau, Yamaha, Rubin Racing Team). The race was won by Marc Buchner (Königswinter, Yamaha, Buchner Motorsport) ahead of Martin Vugrinec (HRV, Yamaha, UNIOR Racing Team). The two also follow in the final championship standings behind champion Max Enderlein (Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Yamaha, Freudenberg WorldSSP Academy), who had to sit out the IDM finale races due to work commitments.
Pole-sitter Tom Toparis (AUS, Yamaha, Benro Racing) crashed while leading in the first race and lost his lead in the second race as well. But even before that, the race had taken a dramatic turn. First, it had to be stopped after two riders crashed. During the break before the restart, it began to rain. Yet all riders started on dry-weather tires. Toparis and Grünwald pulled far ahead of the field. Toparis crashed on the track, which had become extremely slippery due to the rain. Although he was able to rejoin the race, he could not finish higher than eighth. Luca Grünwald celebrated his second victory of the season, finishing 21.692 seconds ahead of guest starter Kevin Wahr (Nagold, Yamaha, Motolife Racing Wahr Energie) and Sander Kroeze (NLD, Yamaha, MGM Racing Performance). Jan Schmidt (Yamaha, Frankfurt Customs Racing Team) won the Superstock 600 class in both races. Stefan Ströhlein (Rotenburg o.d. Tauber, Yamaha, Neumann Racing) had already secured the overall championship title beforehand.
The IDM Supersport 300 junior class, featuring an international field of 42 riders, delivered two thrilling races. In the first race, Angelo Licciardi sealed the championship title. Amid the drafting battles typical of this class—with numerous lead changes—he crossed the finish line in third place. The victory went to his teammate Walid Khan (NLD, Kawasaki, NUTEC-RT Motorsports by SKM-Motorsports). The 19-year-old IDM latecomer—who has only been competing since Most—celebrated his fifth consecutive win of the season.
In the second race, Rick Dunnik didn't put a foot wrong and secured the runner-up title with his third win of the season. His main rival, Ruben Bijman (NLD, Yamaha, Pearle Gebben Racing), was forced to retire after crashing while battling Angelo Licciardi.
ADAC Junior Cup overall champion Lennox Lehmann (Dresden, KTM, Freudenberg World SSP Academy) had a perfect debut in the IDM, finishing eighth in both races. The 13-year-old talent thus achieved his goal of finishing in the top ten in both races.
In the IDM Sidecars, the championship in the 1000cc class remained undecided until the final round of the season. Going into the decisive race, the two rivals, Mike Roscher/Anna Burkard and Andres Nussbaum/Manuel Hirschi, were even tied for the lead. The Swiss team won the class in the first race, tying them with Roscher/Burkard, who had to settle for third place. Due to suspension damage on the final lap, they had dropped another position. Thus, the title was decided in the final race in favor of Nussbaum/Hirschi, who, however, lost the battle for the day’s victory in the 1000cc sidecars to John Smits and Gunter Verbrugge (NLD/NLD, RCN-Yamaha, Smitsracing #12) on the final lap.
Both victories in the 600cc class at Hockenheim went to seven-time sidecar world champion and Isle of Man winner Tim Reeves and his passenger Mark Wilkes (GBR/GBR, Adolf RS Yamaha, Team Berlin Express).
This brought the second season of the IDM, organized and promoted by Motor Presse Stuttgart, to a close with a highly successful IDM finale at Hockenheim. The groundwork for the upcoming season has already been laid: the full 2020 schedule is set to be unveiled by mid-October.