The International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) has come to a close. The 2022 champions have been decided. Despite the inclement weather, the thrilling races at the Hockenheimring captivated thousands of spectators. However, there was no big celebration. The race weekend was overshadowed by a fatal accident. Leon Langstädtler had crashed during free practice in the Superbike class.
In the IDM Superbike class, the champion had already been decided before the grand finale at the Motodrom in Baden. Markus Reiterberger (BCC-alpha-Van Zon-BMW) had secured his fourth title in the premier class ahead of schedule. Florian Alt (Wilbers-BMW Racing) was confirmed as runner-up. Since the middle of the season, he had been trying to beat the leader at least one more time this year, after having succeeded for the first time in Oschersleben. After several unsuccessful attempts, the 26-year-old now had one last chance at Hockenheim to make his wish a reality. With a lead of just 1.111 seconds, Florian Alt crossed the finish line ahead of Markus Reiterberger in the second Superbike race on Sunday. He had done it. The two riders had remained in a class of their own throughout the season. Rob Hartog (Team SWPN) defended third place in the final standings at Hockenheim ahead of his compatriot Pepijn Bijsterbosch (BCC-alpha-Van Zon-BMW). At the same time, the Dutchman ensured that, alongside the BMW motorcycles, a Yamaha secured a spot in the championship’s top 3. All brands participating in the IDM Superbike—BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha—can celebrate having at least one rider in the top 10.
In the IDM Supersport class, too, the champion was already known before the final round. Max Enderlein (M32 Racing) had secured the title at the penultimate round in Austria. Behind him, everything was still up for grabs, and with Luca de Vleeschauwer (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing), Andreas Kofler (Kawasaki Schnock Team Motorex), and Melvin van der Voort (Team SWPN), three riders had a shot at the two remaining spots at the top of the standings. It came as a surprise that the rider who arrived at Hockenheim with the fewest points ended up taking home the runner-up title. But Melvin van der Voort won both races, while favorite Luca de Vleeschauwer crashed. Andreas Kofler also came up short for the same reason and finished fourth overall.
In the Supersport 300 rookie class, the title was not decided until the final race on Sunday. In the end, Marvin Siebdrath (Füsport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) emerged as the big winner, having trailed championship leader Leo Rammerstorfer (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) by seven points heading into the season finale. But the rider from Wildenfels kept his cool, finishing second in both races and thus crossing the finish line ahead of Rammerstorfer, who finished third in each race. That was enough for the 18-year-old, who ultimately secured his first IDM title with a four-point lead. Rammerstorfer finished as runner-up. Third place behind the 18-year-old talent from Austria went to his teammate Walid Khan from the Netherlands.
In the IDM Sidecar class, Tim Reeves and Kevin Rousseau (Bonovo Action) could theoretically have clinched the title. However, that would have required two wins. It didn’t happen because the eight-time world champion struggled with technical issues in both races and could not finish higher than eighth. Bennie Streuer and Ilse de Haas (Bonovo Action) won the first race. Markus Schlosser/Marcel Fries (Team Schlosser) dominated the second race. This has created a new situation. Defending champions Josef Sattler/Luca Schmidt (Bonovo Action) leave Hockenheim as the new points leaders. They head into the final—held separately for the Sidecar class at the Sidecar Festival in Oschersleben—with an eleven-point lead. It takes place this coming weekend.
The 2022 winners of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup, the Twin Cup, and the Pro Superstock Cup are Cedric Holme Nielsen, Justin Hänse, and Philipp Gengelbach.
