While IDM Superbike newcomer Jonas Folger is currently putting his Yamaha through its paces at the Red Bull Ring, class returnee Florian Alt is still waiting in the wings. The Wilbers-BMW rider’s first tests are scheduled for June. Nevertheless, he’ll be getting on the S1000 RR for the first time as early as next week, even if his first few meters—for a video clip—will be limited to the grounds of his team boss Benny Wilbers’ facility.
The Gummersbach native, who just turned 24, is hopeful that the 2020 IDM season will go ahead after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, even if it is a shortened one. Based on the entries, it was set to be the best season in years, with a strong field and top riders from around the world. The question that remains is whether all the foreign riders will be able to compete. Entry permits for top riders such as defending champion Ilya Mikhalchik from Ukraine, Alex Polita from Italy, and Erwan Nigon from France are a key topic of discussion. For Alt, one thing is certain: “If only German riders could compete, the race wouldn’t make any sense. It wouldn’t be an international championship either.” And he estimates that there will need to be at least ten days of testing beforehand. “None of us have been on a motorcycle for at least three months, and we need time to really get used to the bikes.”
His favorite to win the title is Jonas Folger. But will the Bavarian be able to handle a Superbike right away after his time in MotoGP? Alt, who has raced in both the Moto3 and Moto2 World Championships, knows more about this: “In the World Motorcycle Championship, they ride prototypes, and a MotoGP machine is much harder to control than a Superbike, which is built for the masses. Besides, Jonas knows the R1 at least as well as any other rider. He’s had one provided to him for quite some time by Mandy Kainz, the head of the Yamaha Austria Racing Team from the Endurance World Championship. And Jonas has the raw speed anyway.”
He also has Ilya Mikhalchik and Julian Puffe on his list, “because the Ukrainian can train more than anyone else at the family-run Race Academy. And when Julian is mentally sharp, he’s a force to be reckoned with. The new Honda is supposed to be amazing.”
And where does Florian Alt see himself in the midst of this shark tank? “I’ve ridden only Yamahas since 2016, but I’m looking forward to the BMW and have everything I need to compete at the very front. Benny Wilbers and the team know the bike inside and out, and the crew is working with meticulous precision.” In his two appearances last year, then-rider Bastien Mackels secured two second-place finishes on the bike. Alt finished as runner-up in the 2017 IDM Superbike 1000 class. There’s still room for improvement. And Alt, who at 72 kilograms and 189 centimeters tall has the physique of a model athlete, is in top shape.