Wilbers BMW Racing has withdrawn top rider Florian Alt from the upcoming IDM round at the Nürburgring, following his absence in Most. There, the IDM Superbike 1000 will be held as one of the highlights of the supporting program for the ADAC Truck Grand Prix, which takes place on July 17 and 18, 2021. In the Eifel, the Wilbers team will focus entirely on young rider Marco Fetz, who most recently scored ten points in Most, Czech Republic.
25-year-old Florian Alt will not be available to drive for Wilbers BMW Racing at the Nürburgring. His French team boss from the World Endurance Championship insists that, following his strong performance at the series opener in Le Mans, the German also compete in the 12-hour race at Estoril, which takes place on the same weekend as the IDM.
In the Eifel region, the 2016 and 2017 Superbike runner-up was supposed to be back in the running for the title in the premier class. Those plans have fallen through. The Endurance team boss has warned Florian Alt that he will face a license suspension if he misses the race in Estoril. The Endurance World Championship is the world’s premier endurance motorcycle series and is organized under the auspices of the FIM. In the event of a scheduling conflict, a contracted rider’s participation in the World Championship takes precedence over the national series if the team so demands.
The scheduling conflicts arose due to changes to the Endurance World Championship calendar, which was adjusted to accommodate the COVID-19 situation.
Florian Alt says: “The circumstances have really taken a toll on me. But contractually, the World Championship takes precedence, even though I would have loved to race at the Nürburgring. The decision about what happens now was made by the pandemic and my French team.”
“Wilbers-BMW-Racing is covering for Florian Alt. ‘We can’t change the facts, and we definitely don’t want to risk a suspension for Flo—if that happened, he wouldn’t be able to race for us either,’ said team boss Benny Wilbers. “We’re no longer in contention for the IDM title, but that would have been a massive challenge anyway after the disappointing start in Oschersleben and his absence in Most. I told Florian that we’ll win the title together in 2022 and sort everything out in advance so he’s always available to us. We also have a commitment to BMW.”
“IDM teammate Marco Fetz will once again demonstrate his talent at the Nürburgring. The 21-year-old from Bavaria has quickly adapted to the BMW S 1000 RR, and following the recent races in Most, his goal is now to secure a spot in the top ten with Wilbers BMW Racing.”