Thanks to the reverse grid—that is, the revised starting grid based on the order in which the riders finished the first race—the second race of the IDM Superbike 1000 was once again full of surprises. Ilya Mikhalchik (EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW) emerged once again as the winner of today’s race.
Luca Grünwald (Kiefer Racing) took the lead right after the start from the front row. Ilya Mikhalchik, the winner of the first race, started from ninth on the grid. His starting position didn’t prevent the Ukrainian from fighting his way up to fourth place on the very first lap. Just a few turns later, the 24-year-old from Kyiv took the lead. From there, he steadily extended his lead over the field; by the end of the 15-lap race, his lead stood at 8.859 seconds. He later stated that the victory had done him a world of good.
Luca Grünwald, who finished second, also had some breathing room behind him and secured his third podium finish of the year. “I couldn’t do anything against Ilya,” he said afterward, adding, “This is the Kiefer team’s first year in the IDM Superbike 1000. We’re still rookies. Maybe that’s why we sometimes still struggle.” Nevertheless, there’s a chance they could even finish in the top 3 in the overall standings of the premier class by the end of the year.
The battle for third place raged right up to the very end. Involved in the fight were Florian Alt (Wilbers-BMW-Racing), Toni Finsterbusch (GERT56), Alex Polita (HRP Honda), Vladimir Leonov (Hertrampf MO Yamaha Racing), and Valentin Debise (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing).
Debise briefly went off into the grass and fell back as a result; Alt got stuck in the scramble; Leonov was dropped from third to seventh in a single move—and one lap later, everything looked completely different again. Alt even lost to Finsterbusch at the finish line in a photo finish.
And suddenly, Marc Moser (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing)—who had never really found his rhythm all weekend—joined the aggressive pack. The Dieburg native saw a chance to claim his second podium finish of the season—and he seized it. He overtook one competitor after another and was able to celebrate in the end. The race hadn’t been easy for the 27-year-old Yamaha rider. He’s been suffering from a very painful case of tendonitis in his right arm.
Julian Puffe (GERT56) was missing from the leading group. His motorcycle had stalled. He had to start from the pit lane at the back of the field but later retired from the race. The HRT 100 Ducati was also only seen for six laps.
IDM Superbike 1000, Round 2:
1. Ilya MIKHALCHIK (UKR/BMW)
2. Luca GRÜNWALD (GER/BMW)
3. Marc MOSER (GER/Yamaha)
4. Vladimir LEONOV (RUS/Yamaha)
5. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER/BMW)
6. Florian ALT (GER/BMW)
7. Alessandro POLITA (ITA/Honda)
8. Valentin DEBISE (FRA/Kawasaki)
9. Nico THÖNI (AUT/Kawasaki)
10. Bastien MACKELS (BEL/Yamaha)