A year ago, as a three-time IDM champion, he moved to the Spanish Superbike Championship, but Ilya Mikhalchik did not find happiness under the southern sun. The 26-year-old Ukrainian from Kyiv is returning to his former BMW team and the International German Motorcycle Championship.
“He enjoyed his time in Spain, but Ilya missed his crew from Germany,” says BCC Alpha Van Zon BMW team boss Werner Daemen. He had arranged the deal a year ago. Mikhalchik narrowly missed out on the Spanish Superbike championship title. “He didn’t stand a chance—something was always happening. One time the brakes failed, then the next thing happened. He went through everything that could possibly go wrong,” says Daemen, who gets carried away as he recounts the story and adds: “Ilya has become a true European by now and feels at home in Germany. His goal, of course, is to become champion again. I, for one, really hope that happens.”
Mikhalchik currently lives near Warsaw with his fiancée, Milana. The super bike racer’s long-haired companion has found work there. Daemen still sees his rider regularly. “We were most recently testing in Almeria.” Under Daemen’s leadership, Mikhalchik also competes in the FIM Endurance World Championship for the German manufacturer BMW. Testing for the 2023 IDM season is not yet possible. According to Daemen, they are still waiting for the 2023 bikes and engines for the BMW M 1000 RR.
Mikhalchik knows—not least because of Daemen—that his chances of moving up to the Superbike World Championship are limited. Last season, the Ukrainian stepped in for the injured Michael van der Mark on the BMW factory team and even finished eighth in the race. Nevertheless, as Daemen, who is from Belgium, points out, securing a permanent contract is nearly impossible for a rider from a country as small as Ukraine. Hope remains.