After a seven-year hiatus, the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) returns to the Sachsenring next week on September 7–8, 2020. This year, it is the absolute highlight at the historic circuit, featuring an excellent field of riders and thrilling races. Under the leadership of Motor Presse Stuttgart, the IDM has developed into one of Europe’s top championships. Unusually, the series will be held on a Monday and a Tuesday, with the action condensed into two days instead of three. During this time, no participant can afford to make a mistake. In all classes, strong local heroes and Sachsenring experts will face off against the rest of the IDM elite. Especially in the motorcycle stronghold around Hohenstein-Ernstthal, this adds a special spice to the races.
Due to COVID-19 safety regulations, spectators are not permitted at the Sachsenring. However, all races will be streamed live at idm.de/live.
One rider who particularly enjoys coming to the Sachsenring is Jonas Folger. The 27-year-old Yamaha rider celebrated his biggest success here three years ago, finishing second in the MotoGP World Championship race. Back then, he battled neck and neck for the win with multiple world champion Marc Márquez. Now, after a break due to illness, the Bavarian is hoping to make the leap to the Superbike World Championship. He has chosen the IDM Superbike 1000 as the stage for his comeback. Right after the season opener, he noted: “I was already excited about a national championship, and I really appreciate the level of competition.”
The former World Championship rider won both races in the premier class at the IDM season opener, where BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha battle for prestige. The highly tuned Superbikes are essentially production 1000cc motorcycles that have been modified for the championship. They boast well over 200 hp and reach speeds of over 300 km/h on fast tracks. There is no question that Folger also wants to win at the Sachsenring. But how will defending champion Ilya Mikhalchik handle this? The previously so-confident BMW rider from Ukraine has, for now, found his conqueror in Folger, and he is not familiar with the Sachsenring. However, the 24-year-old is known for wanting to achieve maximum success.
The IDM Superbike 1000 is packed with big names like Erwan Nigon from France, Alessandro Polita from Italy, Dominic Schmitter from Switzerland, and Bastien Mackels from Belgium. In total, riders from ten countries are represented. While a chase between Mikhalchik and Folger is shaping up at the front, an extremely strong group follows behind, with nine competitors posting lap times within a single second of each other. Here, every gap is used for overtaking, no matter how small. BMW teammate Florian Alt heads to the Sachsenring in third place in the overall standings. The second appearance of Schleiz native Julian Puffe on a Honda also promises excitement. At the season opener, last year’s runner-up still seemed very tense, but now the time has come for some really fast laps.
In the IDM Supersport , the well-established middleweight class, Max Enderlein is aiming for the triple. The two-time champion lives right next to the Sachsenring and knows the 3.67-kilometer undulating track like the back of his hand. Can he secure a victory on his Yamaha right on his home turf? The championship is currently led by 18-year-old Dutch rider Sander Kroeze. He holds an 11-point lead over Enderlein, who is tied on points with Luca Grünwald (Kawasaki) in the standings. With around 135 hp at the rear wheel, the riders reach top speeds of around 270 km/h on their motorcycles. For IDM competition, the production bikes may be fitted with racing fairings and a completely different exhaust system. Modifications to the forks and rear shock absorbers are also permitted. For fine-tuning, an electronics kit from the respective motorcycle manufacturer may be used. Kit control units, cartridges, large radiators, and much more are allowed. Unlike in the World Championship, blippers are also permitted.
There are slightly fewer changes in the IDM Superstock 600 class. The class was upgraded this year. The former Cup series has been granted IDM status. The IDM Superstock 600 is integrated into the IDM Supersport field but is scored separately. Visually, the classes are very easy to tell apart. The IDM Supersport race with blue numbers on a white background, while the IDM Superstock 600 participants have white numbers on a blue background. At the head of the Yamaha armada is Belgian Tom Kohnen. There is only a single Honda in the field. It belongs to Paul Fröde from Hohenstein-Ernstthal. After a crash through no fault of his own in the very first corner at the season opener, he was pretty down. Second place in the second race did provide a consoling finish. Nevertheless, the 18-year-old now has a lot of ground to make up in the short season.
Marvin Siebdrath from Wildenfels is the fastest German rider in the IDM Supersport junior class. He is part of the RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki team, which is fielding a total of five Ninja 400s. The 16-year-old arrives at the Sachsenring in sixth place in the overall championship standings. Dutch is spoken at the top of the standings. Fifteen-year-old Melvin van der Voort arrives at the prestigious Grand Prix circuit on his Yamaha as the IDM leader. He is followed by his next fastest compatriot, Rick Dunnik, last year’s runner-up. High-stakes excitement is guaranteed. Lurking for an advantage thanks to their good track knowledge are 14-year-old Lennox Lehmann from Dresden, a member of the Freudenberg WorldSSP Academy who won last year’s ADAC Junior Cup race on the track, and Toni Erhard from Schwarzenberg. The 19-year-old won the IDM Supersport title two years ago. Both Saxon talents will be racing on a KTM.