Team manager Werner Daemen can count his riders for 2023 on one hand: Ilya Mikhalchik, Bálint Kovács, Kamil Krzemien, Max Schmidt, and now Philipp Steinmayr make up the BCC-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team. For a long time, it looked like there would be only four riders on the team, which regularly produces champions in the IDM’s premier class. With Steinmayr, Daemen has increased that number once again. It’s an internationally diverse group. The former racer himself is Belgian, while the current active riders hail from Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, Germany, and Austria.
Ilya Mikhalchik: 26 years old, from Kyiv, Ukraine. A year ago, as a three-time IDM champion, he moved to the Spanish Superbike Championship, but Ilya Mikhalchik didn’t 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 is now hoping for a fourth title—and so is team boss Daemen, who is also his manager. Under Daemen’s leadership, Mikhalchik also competes for the German manufacturer BMW in the FIM Endurance World Championship.
Bálint Kovács: 21 years old, from Agárd, Hungary. Even as a teenager, he was already giving the adults a run for their money. Highlights of his career include the ADAC Junior Cup, victory in the Suzuki Cup, and stepping in for the injured Bastien Mackels two years ago at the IDM Superbike finale at the Hockenheimring. Two crashes, but also the third-fastest practice time, caught everyone’s attention. He gets advice from his compatriot and former IDM rider Gabor Rizmayer, who serves as his mentor. Kovács has already competed in many series: the Spanish Superbike Championship, the Alpe Adria Cup, and the Endurance World Championship.
Kamil Krzemien: 23 years old, from Dabie, Poland. He has extended his contract with Werner Daemen’s team for another year. After starting last year on the back foot, the Polish rider really took off in the second half of the season and ultimately finished fifth overall. He considered his first podium finish at the Hockenheim finale a milestone. Krzemien originally joined the IDM Superbike series with his compatriots from LRP Poland, but none of them were able to make their mark except for him. For 2023, he hopes to finish in the top 3.
Max Schmidt: 19 years old, from Wuppertal, Germany. The youngest rider in the premier class. After two years with the Hertrampf team on a Yamaha, he is switching to BCC-alpha-Van Zon-BMW. Schmidt had often wondered what it would be like to race on a BMW, and BMW had even expressed interest in him. Schmidt raced in the Pro Superstock Cup for two years, finishing as runner-up, before moving up to Superbike. Schmidt has completed the entire junior racing development program: minibike, ADAC Junior Cup, and IDM Supersport .
Philipp Steinmayr: 29 years old, from Wolfern, Austria. After a long stint with Yamaha—exactly four years—he’s now switching to the BMW camp. This is uncharted territory for him, but he’s not alone in the team in that regard. Steinmayr has, however, already test-ridden an older S 1000 RR and was quickly convinced of its performance capabilities. To stay in the groove, he’s also competing for the Superstock title in the World Endurance Championship with the French riders from Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers.