This coming weekend, the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) enters its second round of the season. Spectators will be allowed back at Most for the first time from June 11–13, 2021. However, for those fans who still have to wait to attend the IDM in person, the IDM Action Team at Motor Presse Stuttgart is offering its tried-and-true livestream online so they can experience the races in real time.
Delicate decisions lie ahead, especially in the premier IDM Superbike 1000 class. Ilya Mikhalchik (EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW) is certain to lose his lead in the overall standings. The Ukrainian will be absent from Most, as will his BMW teammate Florian Alt (Wilbers-BMW-Racing). The two title favorites are competing in the World Endurance Championship that same weekend. As a result, they won’t be able to score any IDM points, which will set them back in the standings. This clears the way for Yamaha riders Dominic Schmitter (CHE, Hess Racing), Bastien Mackels (BEL, Team SWPN), Vladimir Leonov (RUS, Hertrampf MO Yamaha Racing Team), and Marc Moser (GER, Bonovo Action by MGM Racing). These riders from Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, and Germany are all within striking distance of one another after two IDM races.
Or will Luca Grünwald seize the opportunity to take the lead in the championship for BMW? Riding for the renowned Kiefer Racing team, which made its debut in the top class at the season opener, the IDM 600 champion raced straight onto the podium right from the start. The Bavarian also has the task of bringing the title back to the BMW camp after Yamaha clinched the championship last year. However, the calculations don’t account for the only Honda rider in the field: the fiery Italian Alessandro Polita (HRP Honda) is always good for a surprise. Although French Kawasaki rider Valentin Debise (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing) hasn’t yet shown his full potential in the premier class at the season opener, he has won every race so far in the French championship. He is definitely one to watch at the top of the IDM. A total of ten riders are considered to have a chance of victory on the 200+ hp motorcycles in the individual races.
In the IDM Supersport , however, the Frenchman has built up a slim points lead. Just as he does in his home country, the Frenchman is competing in both classes in the IDM. This means he has entered two classes and leads the field in the middleweight 600cc class ahead of Rob Hartog (Füsport – RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) and Patrick Hobelsberger (Bonovo Action by MGM). Because the unpredictable weather at the first event in Oschersleben caused a lot of chaos and race retirements, many participants are now hoping to finally be able to realize their potential on a dry track in Most. This applies above all to the new M32 Racing Team, in which Max Enderlein and Jan-Ole Jähnig have joined forces. Both crashed in the first race. In the second race, Jähnig secured his first three championship points on his Yamaha, while two-time champion Enderlein once again came away empty-handed. In Most, another question arises: How will guest starter Thomas Gradinger fare? He won the IDM Supersport in 2017 and subsequently moved up to the World Championship as champion. He is making a comeback in the Czech Republic, but will be racing as a guest starter outside the championship standings.
In the IDM Supersport junior class, the battle is taking place between the manufacturers’ representatives from Kawasaki, KTM, and Yamaha. Defending champion Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM World SSP Team) has once again taken the lead. The 15-year-old high school student from Dresden also celebrated his first IDM victory at the start of the season, a feat that had eluded him last year. Close behind him are his teammates Marvin Siebdrath and Luca de Vleeschauwer (Füsport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki). The smallest IDM class, contested with motorcycles producing over 50 horsepower, has grown into the largest IDM class. Participants from nine nations are represented. In this highly competitive junior class, the outcome is often decided in the final meters before the finish line.
Eleven teams have registered their 600cc sidecars for the entire IDM Sidecar season, including the race at Most. In addition, there will be guest appearances by riders on 1000cc sidecars. They will be included in the field, but due to the small number of participants, there will no longer be a separate classification for this class. The 600cc engines, which are also used exclusively in the World Championship, have finally established themselves. There are two newcomers in the field: Nils Köster and passenger Wouter Zwiers. They come from the vintage scene and will make their debut at Most in a modern F1 sidecar, which comes from the used inventory of multiple world champion Tim Reeves. Josef Sattler and Luca Schmidt have registered as guests. Theoretically, the Bonovo Action Team rider was supposed to be competing for points in the World Championship, but injuries sustained in a crash during testing prevent him from competing on the big stage just yet. To stay in the game together at a high level nonetheless, the Bavarian-Thuringian duo has therefore decided to compete in the IDM at Most.
The Pro Superstock Cup, the Twin Cup, and the Superstock 600 Cup—which is part of the IDM Supersport series—are sure to deliver thrilling slipstream battles and spectacular fights for position. A maximum of 1,000 spectators are allowed at the track in Most each day. Those who can’t be there in person can watch the races via free livestream on the MOTORRAD YouTube channel and on the IDM Facebook page.