The International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) made history once again at the Red Bull Ring. After a seven-year hiatus, the series returned to the circuit in Austria. A one-two finish in the IDM’s premier class, Superbike 1000, and nail-biting finishes in all the other races had fans in the Styria Grandstand celebrating. In Austria, the stage was set for the big IDM finale in September at Hockenheim.
In the premier IDM Superbike 1000 class, overall points leader Ilya Mikhalchik (EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW) lived up to his nickname, “Iceman.” After his two podium finishes in Styria, the Ukrainian kept a straight face; it wasn’t until later that the hint of a smile became visible. The reason for his slowly fading gloom: he hadn’t won either race.
Both victories went to the outstanding Florian Alt (Wilbers-BMW-Racing), who had already dominated in practice. After a botched season opener and his absence from the event in Most, Czech Republic, this triumph propelled the Nümbrecht native from tenth to third place in the standings in the span of a single weekend. Alt dedicated his one-two finish to his sister Sina and his brother-in-law Pascal. The two had gotten married in a church ceremony over the weekend. Alt had already walked them down the aisle to the civil registry office as best man, and the next step would have been the church ceremony—but racing took precedence. As the bride’s responsible brother, however, he had taken care of organizing the festivities in advance.
Despite his great weekend in Styria, the German can no longer pose a threat to two-time champion Mikhalchik on his path to a third championship title. There are simply too many points separating the two. Valentin Debise (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing), however, still has a theoretical chance. That chance has diminished at the Red Bull Ring, though, as Debise finished fourth in both races. But the final tally won’t be settled until the very end.
In the first race, Markus Reiterberger (BCC Racing) rounded out the podium alongside Alt and Mikhalchik; in the second race, it was Luca Grünwald (Kiefer Racing), who stood on the podium for the fourth time in his team’s debut Superbike season.
In the second race, the local riders put in a particularly strong performance. The Austrian trio of Jan Mohr (EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW), Nico Thöni (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing), and Philipp Steinmayr (Team Ratezi) raced their way into the top ten—all on three different brands.
In the IDM Supersport 600 class, Patrick Hobelsberger (Bonovo action by MGM Racing) struggled with technical issues on his motorcycle in the first race. He couldn’t do better than fifth place. The victory went to none other than Valentin Debise (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing), his biggest rival in the title race. As always, the Frenchman competed in two classes as a double starter. He has already clinched the French Supersport 600 Championship, and the German title is set to be his next. Kevin Wahr (MVR-Racing) had put pressure on Debise for lap after lap but ultimately had to give way. The Nagold native finished second.
Hobelsberger, however, managed to win the second race ahead of Debise, allowing the Bavarian to limit the damage. Thomas Gradinger (Eder-Racing) finished third in both races. He was determined to make it onto the podium at his home race, even if it meant taking a few championship points away from his Yamaha teammate and title favorite, Hobelsberger. But the Austrian made a refreshingly candid remark: “I was able to pass Pax. I feel bad for him—he’s probably pissed off—but that’s racing.”
There were no easy wins in the IDM Supersport 300, the junior class in the series, either. It came as no surprise that Victor Steeman won the first race. The Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP team had invited its World Championship rider for a guest appearance, with the added role of providing advice to the team’s four IDM riders. Steeman is currently fifth in the Supersport 300 World Championship. At the Red Bull Ring, he competed in the first race outside the official standings.
Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team, 15) pulled off a masterstroke in the final lap of the first race. The defending champion slipped past his rival Luca De Vleeschauwer (Füsport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki, 18) on the inside in the final corner. The Belgian once again achieved his best result of the season so far with a third-place finish.
The turbulent second race ended with a photo finish and a one-two finish for the Füsport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki team. Luca De Vleeschauwer (18) won by a margin of twelve thousandths of a second over Marvin Siebdrath. Leo Rammerstorfer (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team, 17) finished third. The Austrian is close friends with his teammate Lennox Lehmann, who spent two weeks visiting him. “We practiced a bit on e-cross bikes,” Lehmann revealed, “but not as much as we wanted to because the neighbors complained.” For Rammerstorfer, however, it paid off. Three-time race winner Dirk Geiger, who had previously been among the title contenders, must now give up all hope. Problems with the electronics left him with no chance on the Red Bull.
In the IDM Sidecar class, the World Championship sidecar teams dominated, having stopped at the Red Bull Ring on their way home from Rijeka. World Championship runner-up Todd Ellis celebrated his debut with his passenger Emmanuelle Clèment (Santander Salt/LCR F1, 600 cm³) by finishing nine seconds ahead of the field, where the competition was all the more intense.
Tim Reeves/Kevin Rousseau (Bonovo Action Team/Adolf RS F1) battled it out with Pekka Päivärinta/Ilse De Haas and Markus Schlosser/Marcel Fries (Team Schlosser/LCR F1, 600 cm³). Reeves, who celebrated his 49th birthday on Saturday, emerged as the winner of the position changes, with Schlosser following him. IDM leaders Josef Sattler and Luca Schmidt (Bonovo Action Team/Adolf RS F1) finished the race in sixth place.
Todd Ellis also won the second race ahead of eight-time world champion Tim Reeves. “We had a real head-to-head battle today. That’s exactly what we wanted,” Reeves said afterward. Ellis, too, was confident that they had put on a good show for the spectators. After three races without a podium finish, Sattler/Schmidt crossed the finish line in third place this time. “After this weekend, I can finally sleep soundly again,” Sattler said cheerfully after the race.
With points also up for grabs in the IDM Superstock 600 Cup, the Austrian Junior Cup, the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup, and the Northern Talent Cup, Styria was the scene of some top-notch entertainment.
“Our return to the Red Bull Ring was a complete success. We’ve come back to a place that truly lives and breathes motorsports,” said IDM Series Manager Normann Broy. “There were exciting races and surprises in all classes, and the weather was better than forecast. The stage is now set for the IDM finale from September 24 to 26, 2021. Best of all: In no IDM class has the winner been crowned early this year. We haven’t seen that in a long time. So it remains exciting.”