Former MotoGP star Jonas Folger maintained his perfect record at the third IDM round of the 2020 season. The 27-year-old Yamaha rider won both Superbike races at the Lausitzring today, Sunday. Ahead of the season finale in Hockenheim from September 25 to 27, the Bavarian is just seven points away from the championship title. But there were also thrilling showdowns in the other IDM series. The championship lead changed hands in three IDM series.
In IDM Supersport 600, Luca Grünwald on a Kawasaki took the lead, though he holds just a three-point advantage over two-time Lausitz race winner Martin Vugrinec on a Yamaha. Paul Fröde (Honda) holds an equally narrow lead over Jan-Ole Jähnig (Yamaha) in the IDM Superstock 600. In the IDM junior series Supersport 300, Rick Dunnik on a Yamaha claimed the top spot in the standings.
In the premier IDM Superbike 1000 class, Jonas Folger, riding the Bonovo Action by MGM Racing Yamaha, once again prevailed over defending champion Ilya Mikhalchik on the EGS-alpha-Van Zon Team BMW. Folger was able to score maximum points in both races, even on the Lausitzring, a track he had never raced on before. “The track really puts us riders to the test,” he said, describing his impressions. The track in Lausitz also made choosing the right compound of Pirelli tires a real challenge.
“Unfortunately, the softer tires didn’t work as well as we’d hoped,” Folger said after the second race. Nevertheless, he built up a lead of 7.279 seconds. Ilya Mikhalchik also struggled with the tires. “I chose the hard compound, but after the third lap I didn’t have enough grip on the front tire,” Mikhalchik said. Behind the leading duo, Wilbers BMW rider Florian Alt secured two more podium finishes and is currently in third place in the championship. He is followed by Swiss rider Dominic Schmitter, the second-best Yamaha rider in the Superbike field.
Endurance World Champion Erwan Nigon also put in a strong performance at the Lausitzring. The sole Kawasaki rider finished fourth in the first race. In the second race, the Frenchman initially battled among the leaders but ultimately had to settle for sixth place.
The top Honda rider in the field, which included drivers from eight countries, was Italian Alessandro Polita, who is currently in seventh place in the IDM standings.
In the highly competitive IDM Supersport 600 class, Martin Vugrinec on a Yamaha celebrated his first two IDM victories. The 21-year-old Yamaha rider won both races ahead of Luca Grünwald on a Kawasaki, who took the lead in the championship by steadily racking up points. Defending champion Max Enderlein on a Yamaha could only salvage two points in the first race after finishing fourteenth following a drive-through penalty. The result dropped him to third place in the overall standings.
Like Enderlein, Paul Fröde is also from Hohenstein-Ernstthal. Riding his Honda, he took the lead in the Superstock 600 class, which was contested for the first time as part of the IDM championship. However, Jan-Ole Jähnig is hot on his heels after two wins. Belgian rider Tom Kohnen was unable to defend his position at the top of the standings after crashing in the first race.
In the IDM Supersport 300 junior class as well, a new rider has taken the overall lead following the Lausitzring weekend. With his first win of the season, Dutch rider Rick Dunnik on a Yamaha took the lead in the championship, which features the largest field of riders within the IDM. At the third round, 37 young riders battled for positions and points. Heading into the finale, Dunnik holds a 15-point lead over Belgian rider Luca de Vleeschauwer on a Kawasaki. Although the RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki rider celebrated his first IDM victory at Lausitz, he finished seventeenth in the second race without scoring any points after crashing on the opening lap.
In the IDM Sidecar class, Swiss riders Markus Schlosser and Marcel Fries on an LCR-Yamaha extended their lead in the championship with a victory. In the second race, they held off defending champion and eight-time world champion Tim Reeves and his passenger Kevin Rousseau on an Adolf RS Yamaha. Mike Roscher and Anna Burkard on LCR-BMW dominated the 1000cc class. They lead the championship with a perfect points total.
The new Northern Talent Cup continued its inaugural season with two thrilling races. Although Belgian Lorenz Luciano and Czech rider Jakub Goretzky each won a race, German rider Freddie Heinrich was still able to maintain his lead in the junior cup thanks to his two second-place finishes. In the Twin Cup, Nicolai Kraft on a Suzuki dominated the weekend, just as Austrian Nico Thöni on his BMW dominated the Pro Superstock Cup for production-based 1000cc motorcycles.
In all IDM championships, the title races remain undecided ahead of the finale at the Hockenheimring. The season, which has been extremely exciting so far but was shortened to four events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, promises a thrilling finale. Due to measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, no spectators will be allowed at the Hockenheimring. IDM fans can also watch the final races via the free IDM livestream.
IDM Grand Finale: September 25–27, 2020, at the Hockenheimring.