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 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 leader Ilya Mikhalchik (EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW) lived up to his nickname, “Iceman.” After his two podium finishes in Styria, the Ukrainian remained impassive; only later did the hint of a smile become visible. The reason for his gradually fading gloom: he hadn’t won either of the two races.
Both victories went to the outstanding Florian Alt (Wilbers-BMW-Racing), who had already dominated in practice. After a botched start to the season 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 just one 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 as best man at the civil ceremony, and the next step would have been the wedding reception, but racing took precedence. As the bride’s responsible brother, however, he had taken care of organizing the festivities beforehand.
Despite his fantastic weekend in Styria, the German rider can no longer pose a threat to two-time champion Mikhalchik on his way to a third championship title. The gap between the two is simply too wide. However, Valentin Debise (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing) 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) joined Alt and Mikhalchik on the podium; in the second, Luca Grünwald (Kiefer Racing) took the final spot on the podium, marking his fourth podium finish 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 der IDM Supersport 600 hatte Patrick Hobelsberger (Bonovo action by MGM Racing) im ersten Rennen mit technischen Problemen am Motorrad zu kämpfen. Mehr als der fünfte Platz war nicht drin. Den Sieg trug ausgerechnet Valentin Debise (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing) davon, sein größter Konkurrent im Titelkampf. Der Franzose trat wie immer als Doppelstarter in zwei Klassen an. Die französische Supersport 600-Meisterschaft hat er bereits unter Dach und Fach gebracht, die deutsche soll die nächste werden. Kevin Wahr (MVR-Racing) hatte Debise rundenlang unter Druck gesetzt, musste aber passen. Der Nagolder wurde Zweiter.
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 said with refreshing candor: “I was able to pass Pax. I feel bad for him; he’s surely pissed off, but that’s racing.”
Auch in der IDM Supersport 300, der Nachwuchsklasse im Programm, gab es keine Geschenke. Dass Victor Steeman den ersten Lauf für sich entschied, war keine Überraschung. Das Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP hatte seinen WM-Fahrer für einen Gaststart eingeladen mit erweiterter Funktion als Tipp-Geber für die vier IDM-Fahrer der Mannschaft. Steeman ist momentan Fünfter in der Supersport 300-Weltmeisterschaft. Auf dem Red Bull Ring fuhr er außerhalb der Wertung im ersten Rennen mit.
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 of the final corner. The Belgian, meanwhile, 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 was worth it. 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.
The IDM Sidecar class was dominated by the World Championship sidecar teams, who 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 cc) 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 cc). Reeves, who celebrated his 49th birthday on Saturday, emerged as the winner of the position change, 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. Exactly what we wanted,” Reeves said afterward. Ellis was also 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 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 treated to 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 24–26, 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.”