Andreas Kofler, a 16-year-old from Attnang-Puchheim in Upper Austria, has set the course for 2021. He is moving from the Spanish Superstock 600 Championship to the International German Road Racing Championship (IDM). He will compete in the IDM Supersport class on a ZX-6R for the German Kawasaki Schnock Team Motorex.
“After three years in the Spanish FIM CEV Repsol, I’m now looking forward to something new. From the very first day of testing, I’ve felt very comfortable with my new team and on my new bike,” explains the young Austrian. Former Swiss motorcycle champion Roman Raschle will be handling the technical support for the bike. “The Kawasaki Schnock Team Motorex is an experienced team whose bikes can compete for the top positions,” Kofler notes. Luca Grünwald won the IDM title with the team in 2020. But Kofler adds with a wink: “That’s certainly still a lofty goal for my debut season.”
He’s facing a strong field of drivers and many new race tracks: “From the calendar, I only know Assen, Spielberg, and Oschersleben. I’m especially excited about the planned race at the Red Bull Ring, of course, because it means I’ll finally have a home race again. Of course, it would be cool if a few spectators could come." Tracks like the Hockenheimring, the Lausitzring, or the Schleizer Dreieck, on the other hand, are completely new territory.
“That will certainly be his biggest challenge at the start. Because the IDM is similar to the World Championship. There’s only one day of practice on Friday, then qualifying on Saturday, and right after that, the first race,” explains Roman Raschle. “The level of competition in the IDM is very high, including from a technical standpoint. Our advantage is our years of experience on these tracks. That allows us to provide Andreas with the best possible support, and he can fully concentrate on the tracks and his own development,” says the 41-year-old.
“I’ve been following Andreas’s career for quite some time. Our paths have crossed time and again, and I’m delighted that he’ll be riding for our team in 2021,” the Swiss rider continues. In December, he met with the young Austrian in Spain for an initial test: “When Andreas first sat on my bike, he was fully engaged from the start and posted good lap times. I was particularly impressed by his approach for a rider of his age.”
With the Swiss riders Sandro Furtner and Severin Bingisser, Kofler will have two teammates who already competed for Kawasaki Schnock Team Motorex in the IDM Supersport last year.