The waiting and the cancellations are finally over. With races in Assen, at the Sachsenring, the Lausitzring, and in Hockenheim, the season is finally getting underway. This year’s International German Motorcycle Championship season kicks off August 14–16 at the TT Circuit van Drenthe in Assen (NL). “The IDM is the only motorcycle racing series to be held at this historic track this year,” says series coordinator Normann Broy.
Since the lockdown to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, the event team at Motor Presse Stuttgart has developed safety and hygiene protocols to ensure the IDM season can proceed under these new conditions. However, after more than three and a half months of an involuntary hiatus, the IDM will unfortunately have to take place in front of empty stands as things stand today. Thanks to the support of sponsors, however, live streams on the Internet and a special print supplement in the magazines PS and MOTORRAD are planned for the many fans.
The second race at the Sachsenring turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Many IDM Superbike 1000 riders, led by two-time champion Ilya Mikhalchik, had deeply regretted the cancellation of the race as part of the ADAC Sachsenring Classic in May. Now there will be a standalone IDM event featuring all classes, scheduled for September 7 and 8—unusually, on a Monday and a Tuesday. However, this was the only way to include the popular MotoGP track in the 2020 IDM calendar.
The Sachsenring and the Lausitzring make up the 2020 IDM doubleheader. From Saxony, the action moves directly to the racetrack in Brandenburg, about 150 kilometers away, where the third IDM round will be held the following weekend (September 11 and 12). As usual, the season finale will take place on the last weekend of September (September 25–27) at the Hockenheimring.
After many event cancellations and juggling countless new calendar drafts, Broy and his team have pulled off a minor masterpiece. “At one point, I had almost given up hope. But we didn’t give up, and today—thanks in part to the support of the racetrack operators—we’re able to present a small but impressive IDM calendar.”