The International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) returned from its COVID-19 hiatus with thrilling motorsport action. 321 days after the last IDM race, the new season finally got underway at the Dutch MotoGP circuit. Jonas Folger, riding the Yamaha of the Bonovo Action Team powered by MGM Racing, got off to a perfect start: The 27-year-old won both races in the highly anticipated duel with defending champion Ilya Mikhalchik, who was riding the BMW of the EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW Team.
The entire weekend was marked by exciting races. Due to measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, no spectators were allowed on-site in Assen. Fans were able to watch the races via the free IDM livestream. IDM fans can also watch the races at the next three IDM events—at the Sachsenring, the Lausitzring, and the Hockenheimring—via livestream.
In the IDM’s premier class, Superbike 1000—where the motorcycles boast well over 200 PS—Jonas Folger lived up to his role as favorite. He dominated practice and won both races. But the two heat races were no walk in the park for the Yamaha rider: “It really takes some work,” Folger admitted after the second race. Ilya Mikhalchik’s gaps to the double winner—2.9 and 3.6 seconds—aren’t large. Right behind him is the next fast BMW rider, Florian Alt (Wilbers Racing).
In the second race of the IDM Superbike 1000, Alessandro Polita (Holzhauer Racing Promotion)—the fastest Honda rider—followed the leading trio. Endurance World Champion Erwan Nigon (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing Team), on the other hand, had some bad luck: After finishing ninth in the first race, he turned directly into his pit after receiving a drive-through penalty. As the fastest Suzuki rider, Daniel Kartheininger (HPC Power Suzuki Racing) finished both races in the top 15 of this year’s extremely competitive class.
In the equally high-caliber IDM Supersport class, everything initially went according to plan for Victor Steeman (Lentink Sports Racing) on Yamaha. The Dutch rider capitalized on his pole position to secure the race win against defending champion Max Enderlein (Freudenberg SMC WorldSSP Academy) and Sander Kroeze (Team SWPN). Steeman also took the lead in the second race. However, he was unable to withstand the intense pressure from his pursuers and, after crashing, lost any chance of a second victory.
The race turned into a thrilling four-way battle on the final lap, with Steeman’s compatriot Glenn van Straalen on a Kawasaki coming out on top. In the final series of turns before the finish, Sander Kroeze squeezed past Max Enderlein to take second place. The rider from Saxony finished only fourth because he avoided a collision with Kroeze, allowing Luca Grünwald (Kawasaki Schnock Team Motorex) to slip through and take third place. In the IDM Superstock 600 class, where fewer modifications are allowed to the motorcycles, Belgian rider Tom Kohnen on a Yamaha secured the maximum 50 points with two race wins.
The IDM Supersport junior class kicked off the new season with two very different races. The first race was won by 15-year-old Yamaha rider Melvin van der Voort of Team SWPN with a comfortable lead of 8.004 seconds. The second race was a typical Supersport, featuring numerous position changes and a dramatic photo finish. Australian Harry Khouri secured the victory on the Benjan Racing Team’s Kawasaki. Just 0.011 seconds separated him from Rick Dunnik on the Yamaha (Zuwi-HDRacing). Behind them were van der Vaart and Colin Velthuizen on Kawasakis (RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki), with Velthuizen finishing fourth, just 0.075 seconds shy of his second IDM victory.
There was a major surprise in the IDM Sidecar class. Eight-time world champion Tim Reeves and his passenger Kevin Rousseau (Adolf RS Yamaha) failed to score any points at the TT Circuit. In the first race of the 600 cm³ class, he was slowed down by a technical issue; in the second, he left the pits too late for the formation lap. As a result, the British rider received a drive-through penalty during the race. The winner of both races was Swiss rider Markus Schlosser (LCR Yamaha) with his passenger Marcel Fries. Joining them on the podium were Bennie Streuer/Ilse de Haas (RCN Yamaha) and Josef Sattler/Luca Schmidt (Adolf RS Yamaha). The 17-year-old Schmidt is considered a major up-and-coming talent in his class. Sidecars with 1000 cm³ engine displacement are still included in the IDM Sidecar series. They race in the same field but are classified separately. Saxon rider Mike Roscher (LCR BMW) won both races with his passenger Anna Burkard from Switzerland.
In the inaugural Pro Superstock Cup, Austrian rider Nico Thöni on a BMW won both races. In the Twin Cup, Felix Klinck on a Kawasaki claimed the overall victory in both races of the weekend. In the second race, however, he was only able to edge out his teammate Johann Flammann by 0.009 seconds in the final meters after a thrilling battle.
Next IDM event: September 7 and 8, 2020, at the Sachsenring