The IDM is in the midst of its preparations. It has been official for exactly three days that the 2020 International German Motorcycle Championship will take place. Although the coronavirus pandemic derailed the original plan, the IDM team at Motor Presse Stuttgart didn’t let that get them down and set everything in motion so that there is now a small but solid schedule after all. The Superbike test for the Wilbers BMW Team and the Yamaha riders of the Bonovo action by MGM Racing Team in Assen came at just the right time.
It had been a while since Florian Alt had last lapped the challenging Grand Prix circuit. The 24-year-old BMW S 1000 RR rider from Gummersbach needed a few laps to get his bearings again on the 4.555-kilometer track. By the end of the day, he had clocked a best time of 1:39.90. Team boss Benny Wilbers was satisfied, even though the competition—in the form of Jonas Folger—was a tad faster. “Our technical director Burkhard Stember had so many new features to test that lap times weren’t quite as important,” was his conclusion.
Following the test session in Oschersleben, the Superbike riders from the Bonovo action by MGM Racing Team traveled to the TT Circuit in Assen at the same time as the Wilbers BMW Team. That means: Jonas Folger, Marc Moser, and Maximilian Weihe. Sunshine and strong winds characterized their five sessions on the new asphalt, where the IDM season opener will also take place from August 14 to 16.
Former MotoGP rider Jonas Folger clearly had a blast on the Yamaha YZF-R1M in the Netherlands. “It’s a track I know well, so I felt comfortable right from the start. We mainly worked on the electronics, fine-tuning everything for the track, trying out different tires, and making some adjustments to the seating position. We also tried out a different fuel tank cover in between.” The 26-year-old from Upper Bavaria says: “We got a lot done for one day, posted good lap times, and were able to steadily improve.”
Marc Moser also thought the test went very well. “The track was very hard on the tires. We had to change the first set after just the first lap. That surprised us a bit. But we posted some great lap times, even though there was always a lot of traffic. We’ve also further improved the electronics compared to the first test in Oschersleben. Personally, I’m driving with more front-end weight than usual. That works out well for me because the track here has a lot of grip.”
Maximilian Weihe is in good spirits despite some initial difficulties. “I struggled a bit at first because we were working a lot with the engine brake. I didn’t race at Assen last year, and I really felt the difference. But for the last two stints, we were able to adjust the engine brake so that I got back on track and found a good rhythm.” The Yamaha crew’s next test is back at Oschersleben.