The final checkered flag has fallen in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM). Thousands of spectators witnessed a thrilling finale full of surprises and twists and turns live at the Motodrom in Hockenheim. The IDM once again proved itself to be a series offering top-class, up-close motorsport. The open paddock has long since become a major attraction for visitors.
Ilya Mikhalchik (EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW) was crowned champion for the third time in the IDM Superbike 1000. The 25-year-old Ukrainian won four races this year and was so dominant that only Valentin Debise (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing) could have prevented his triumph, even though Debise’s chances were largely theoretical. However, the Frenchman had to withdraw from the final due to injury. As a result, the battle for the runner-up title took center stage at Hockenheim. Three riders were in contention: Florian Alt (Wilbers-BMW), Luca Grünwald (Kiefer Racing), and Vladimir Leonov (Hertrampf MO Yamaha Racing Team).
The decisive race was not for the faint of heart. Leonov initially took the lead, but was caught by the eventual winner, Markus Reiterberger. This allowed Grünwald to close in on the Russian. But in the end, Alt had also fought his way through the field. His fourth-place finish led to an incredibly close outcome, in which a single championship point made all the difference. The final standings are as follows: Mikhalchik is the champion with 176 points, ahead of Florian Alt (145), Grünwald (144), and Leonov (138). Riders from ten nations competed in this year’s IDM Superbike 1000.
In the IDM Supersport 600 class, the overall winner is Patrick Hobelsberger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing). The Bavarian won both races at the Hockenheimring. He has a total of seven wins in 14 races to his credit. Hobelsberger did not retire from a single race and always scored points. He wanted to use the IDM as a springboard to return to the Supersport World Championship. Things are looking good. The 25-year-old Yamaha rider already has offers. Valentin Debise, who was absent as mentioned earlier, finished as runner-up. Similarly, third-place finisher Glenn Van Straalen (NIWA Racing) did not start. The Kawasaki rider from the Netherlands had been booked for the Supersport World Championship round taking place simultaneously in Spain. Despite their absence, there were no free rides in the highly competitive Supersport class at Hockenheim. Max Enderlein (M32 Racing) found that out the hard way. Had the Saxon, who finished seventh, performed just a fraction better in the second race, he could have knocked Glenn Van Straalen out of third place in the standings. Yamaha rider Enderlein now goes down in history in fourth place, just one point behind the Dutchman.
The IDM Supersport 300 junior class once again delivered a full range of dramatic moments before the champion could be crowned. In the end, defending champion Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg WorldSSP Team) emerged as the big winner. The 15-year-old from Dresden had to hold his breath, however, because in the decisive final race of the season, his bike’s mechanics failed him and he ended up in the gravel trap. From that point on, it was a nail-biter, as Lehmann’s main rival, Marvin Siebdrath (Füsport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki), was still in the running in fifth place. However, he would have had to win to take the title away from Lehmann. Siebdrath finished as runner-up. A battle for third place in the standings erupted between Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg WorldSSP Team) and Luca De Vleeschauwer (Füsport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki). They led the final race. The duel intensified in the final two corners, culminating in a dramatic photo finish. Race officials ruled in Geiger’s favor, allowing him to take the podium as the race winner and third overall.
In the IDM Sidecar class, Josef Sattler and Luca Schmidt (Bonovo Action) could have sealed the deal. That would have required two wins, but it wasn’t to be. Eight-time world champion Tim Reeves, riding in the ARS F1 sidecar with his passenger Kevin Rousseau, took the first race. The second victory went to the Swiss duo Markus Schlosser and Marcel Fries. So, we won’t know who wins the championship this season until next week. The final sidecar races will take place at the Sidecar Festival in Oschersleben from October 1–3. Then we’ll see whether the 2021 champions are Sattler/Schmidt, Reeves/Rousseau, or Markus Schwegler/Ondrej Kopecky.
The decisions in the various cup series added extra excitement to the grand finale at Hockenheim. Noah Lequeux from Luxembourg clinched the IDM Superstock 600 title with six wins this season on a Yamaha. Johann Flammann (Kawasaki Z650) is the overall winner of the Twin Cup. Côme Geenen from Belgium secured the Pro Superstock Cup title on the BMW S 1000 RR. Nick Roelfsman from the Netherlands won the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup.