For Mitja Borgelt, the season can finally begin. Just a few days ago, the young talent celebrated his 14th birthday, which he had been eagerly awaiting—much like others look forward to coming of age. Because the minimum age for the IDM Supersport is 14, he had to watch the action as a spectator at the season opener at the Sachsenring. That’s all over now.
Mitja Borgelt made a name for himself in the 2022 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup when he secured the runner-up title in his rookie season with three podium finishes and one victory. The Rheda-Wiedenbrück native aims to build on these achievements in the Supersport for Team Kiefer Racing. In his first free practice sessions on Friday, he already secured 10th and 13th places. “I’ve been really looking forward to this weekend and am more than satisfied with my lap times so far,” says the Yamaha rider, who is now considered the “rookie” in the junior class.
Despite his young age, Mitja Borgelt has already gained a fair amount of racing experience. In 2016, he began competing in various motocross races before switching to asphalt in 2020 and competing in the ADAC Minibike Junior Cup in 2021. A year later, he moved on to the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup, where he finished as runner-up. After the R3 Cup was canceled before the season, a call from Kiefer Racing came promptly, and the move to the IDM was sealed without further ado.
Now the high school student needs to rack up the miles and gain more experience. “Today definitely confirmed for me that the IDM is a very fast championship where the times are very close together,” says Borgelt. But the eighth-grader sees this as motivation to rise to these new challenges as best he can and grow from them. Among other things, interacting with his teammates will help him do that. Joining him on the racing team from Bad Kreuznach are former Cup teammate Albert Prasse and reigning Supersport Marvin Siebdrath.