Unpredictable weather leads to thrilling races and surprises at the season opener
The International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) couldn't have gotten off to a more exciting start. The season opener in Germany's top motorcycle racing series turned out to be an emotional roller coaster. Constantly changing weather threw a wrench in the plans of many teams and riders, but it also led to some new winners.
The IDM Superbike 1000, in which the motorcycle brands BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha compete for prestige, began with an 18-lap wet race. This means that the race—featuring motorcycles with over 200 PS—will not be stopped to change tires, even if the weather changes. Starting from pole position, Florian Alt (Wilbers-BMW-Racing) opted for rain tires. He thus made the same choice as two-thirds of the field.
Marc Moser (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing), who had dominated free practice, risked everything from the second starting position and went all in on slick tires with no tread. Then there were riders who opted for different tire setups on the front and rear, including Switzerland’s Dominic Schmitter (Hess Racing), Belgium’s Bastien Mackels (SWPN), and Alessandro Polita (HRP-Honda) from Italy. Polita wasn’t entirely sure if it would work, but it was worth a try to move up from ninth on the grid.
At first, the decision seemed like a mistake, but as the race progressed, it proved to be spot on. On the track, which was drying out, the drivers on slicks were gaining more and more speed, while pole-sitter Alt slipped out of the top ten. Meanwhile, Moser had moved to the front of the field, and by the end, victory was his for the taking: “I really pushed hard one last time because I wanted to make sure my lead was big enough in case it started raining again.” Dominic Schmitter finished second ahead of Bastien Mackels. Yamaha thus celebrated a one-two-three finish with riders from three different countries: Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium.
Julian Puffe, riding for the new GERT56 Superbike team, was the first BMW rider to cross the finish line, finishing fourth. Alex Polita, the only Honda rider in the field, finished fifth. Valentin Debise rode the top-finishing Kawasaki. The Frenchman finished eighth. The IDM Superbike 1000 couldn't have gotten off to a more exciting start.
The second IDM Superbike 1000 race marked a turning point in the premier class. Two-time champion Ilya Mikhalchik scored a commanding victory on the new BMW M 1000 RR from the EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team. At the same time, he took the lead in the standings. Luca Grünwald (Kiefer Racing Team) finished second ahead of Vladimir Leonov (Hertrampf MO Yamaha Racing). It wasn’t until the final corner of the last lap that the outcome was decided—not least because of the reverse grid.
Mikhalchik had already crossed the finish line when the battle finally heated up 8.5 seconds behind him. Grünwald overtook the Russian in a full drift through the final corner. This marked a successful IDM Superbike 1000 debut for Jochen Kiefer’s former World Championship team. “Vladimir was faster than me in the chicane on the other side, and then I made a few more mistakes. So I only had the final chicane left to get past him,” Grünwald reported.
After the two races in Oschersleben, Mikhalchik (34 points) leads the overall IDM Superbike 1000 standings ahead of Schmitter (31), Mackels (29), Leonov (26), and Moser (25).
In the IDM Supersport class, Valentin Debise (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing) secured a one-two finish. He also competes in the IDM Superbike 1000 class, where he is among the favorites, but the Frenchman is a true all-rounder and has also entered the middleweight class—with success. In the first race, the drizzle grew heavier and heavier. Race control called off the race. The finish after the eighth lap counted toward the results. A restart was ruled out due to the persistently uncertain weather conditions. Joining Debise, who had dominated up to that point, on the podium were Bavarian Yamaha rider Patrick Hobelsberger (Bonovo Action by MGM) and Marcel Brenner (Hess Racing) from Switzerland.
Debise was in a class of his own in the second Supersport race as well. It had to be held in two parts because another interruption was unavoidable due to bad weather. The second start took place after the finish line had been set up prior to the interruption. Debise extended his lead to over 21 seconds. By signing him, the Swiss team and their supporting importer from Germany have landed a real gem.
Rob Hartog, who finished second in the race and also secured second place in the standings, was simply thrilled with his podium finish. His 20-year-old teammate Dino Iozzo from South Africa finished third. For team manager Rob Vennegoor, it was a complete success. “We’re new to the IDM Supersport and don’t know the bikes that well yet.” However, he expects his riders to finish in the top five even in dry conditions. In the overall standings, Debise (50 points) leads ahead of Hartog (31) and Hobelsberger (26).
In the Superstock 600 Cup, which is held within the IDM Supersport series but is scored separately and allows for fewer modifications to the motorcycles, Luxembourg’s Noah Lequeux (Yamaha) is the leader.
The man of the hour in the first race of the IDM Supersport was Marvin Siebdrath (Team Füsport – RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki). The 17-year-old Kawasaki rider was locked in a thrilling battle right up to the finish with defending champion Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team), who missed the win by a mere 0.079 seconds. Third place went to class newcomer Twan Smits (Apreco) on a Yamaha. Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team), who led at the start, was unable to hold onto the lead for long. The 18-year-old from Mannheim was overtaken repeatedly by the field and ultimately finished in 12th place. “We already had the electronics issue on Friday during free practice, but were able to fix it for qualifying. Unfortunately, for reasons we haven’t yet determined, it resurfaced in the middle of the race,” explained team boss Carsten Freudenberg after the race. Toni Erhard (Roto-Store BRT), the 2018 champion, had to retire early after a crash in the first third of the race. The weather conditions here, too, were anything but “peace, joy, and sunshine.” Instead, wind, changing conditions, and a track that was 60 percent dry presented difficult conditions for the riders.
The second race in the junior class ended in a photo finish. Fifteen-year-old Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP) can now call himself not only the 2020 champion but also a race winner. The Dresden native stood on the top step of the podium for the first time today and took the lead in the overall standings with 45 points. “Having a victory under my belt now, on top of my championship title, is really something very special for me,” he said happily. The race also unfolded surprisingly differently for him than he had initially expected. “My teammate Dirk Geiger and I quickly pulled away from the field. I thought the other riders wouldn’t be able to catch up to us. A few laps later, they were suddenly right behind me, and I knew: I have to move up as quickly as possible.” Geiger secured 20 championship points with his second-place finish and is now fifth in the overall standings. Right behind Lehmann are season-opener winner Marvin Siebdrath (38 points) and Luca de Vleeschauwer (29). The 18-year-old from Team Füsport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki finished third in the second race.
“The first event is in the books. We saw some incredibly thrilling races. The results point to an exciting championship with plenty of variety,” says IDM Series Manager Normann Broy, summing up the event. “Despite the constantly changing weather conditions, there were no serious accidents. That’s very important to us. The riders’ safety must be guaranteed. Of course, we missed the spectators, who weren’t allowed to be there due to COVID-19 regulations. However, we believe and hope that this will change soon. For now, we’re optimistic.” The IDM’s promoter and organizational team pulled out all the stops in Oschersleben to make the event happen. It was accompanied by the Northern Talent Cup, the Twin Cup, and the Pro Superstock Cup. The races were broadcast via livestream.