Things went well for Ilya Mikhalchik (BCC ALPHA VAN ZON BMW RACING TEAM) for nearly all 18 laps, but then the Ukrainian crashed in the second IDM Superbike race at Oschersleben as well, while Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) on a Honda once again took home the full points. In the end, the same riders—Hannes Soomer (Enemat Enos Motorsport) and Bastien Mackels (Team SWPN)—stood on the podium as they had that morning.
Toni Finsterbusch (GERT56) had planned to start at the very front of the reverse grid—where the top nine finishers from the first race start with their positions and sides reversed—and stay in the lead on course for a podium finish. Finsterbusch did an excellent job for lap after lap, battling it out with Bastien Mackels and Florian Alt. The latter seemed to need a moment to catch his breath as he fought his way forward from ninth on the grid to claim victory in the first race. BMW’s star rider Mikhalchik had been less aggressive. After crashing during the formation lap in the first race, he took a more cautious approach this time.
Halfway through the race, Hannes Soomer closed in on the leading trio. And, looking inconspicuous and camouflaged by his black helmet, Mikhalchik soon appeared right behind them. His bright red helmet had been damaged in his crash that morning.
In the meantime, Mackels had long since taken the lead, but on the eleventh of 18 laps, he suddenly found himself in third place after a single turn. Title favorite Alt was now in the lead ahead of Finsterbusch. And Soomer and Mikhalchik were closing in even further. When Soomer launched an attack on third-place Mackels, it was clear that the battle for the podium spots was far from over. The next attack succeeded. It was a bitter blow for Finsterbusch: he had been on course for so long, but couldn’t hold off the combined force coming from behind. He slipped back to fifth place behind Mackels and Mikhalchik.
Then came the drama on the final lap. Mikhalchik crashed yet again. He pushed just a little too hard—and that was the end of it. He managed to salvage five points by getting his BMW back on its wheels and crossing the finish line—but Alt, as the race winner, had once again earned 50 points and now leads the championship standings by a comfortable margin. It was a celebration for Honda, as Soomer brought the same make across the finish line in second place. Mackels was classified third and as the fastest Yamaha rider. And Finsterbusch moved up a spot thanks to Mikhalchik’s crash. He became the top BMW rider.
IDM Superbike, Round 2
1. Florian ALT (GER), Honda
2. Hannes SOOMER (EST), Honda
3. Bastien MACKELS (BEL), Yamaha
4. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER), BMW
5. Patrick HOBELSBERGER (GER), BMW
6. Balint KOVACS (HUN), BMW
7. Vladimir LEONOV (UAE), Yamaha
8. Philipp STEINMAYR (AUT), BMW
9. Max SCHMIDT (GER), BMW
10. Daniel KARTHEININGER (GER), Yamaha