Ilya Mikhalchik (BCC ALPHA VAN ZON BMW RACING TEAM) won the second Superbike race at the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) in Most. In a dramatic finish, he beat Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) and Bastien Mackels (Team SWPN).
After many twists and turns in what was arguably the most exciting IDM Superbike race of the current season so far, Ilya Mikhalchik emerged as the winner after 16 laps. The reverse grid—in which the top three finishers from the first race start in the third row and positions four through six move up to the front row—led to a tightly packed field right from the start. Toni Finsterbusch, riding the GERT56 BMW, was the victim of a crash caused by Florian Alt making contact with his front wheel. Alt had plowed through the field like a tornado and was already in the lead after the first lap. Vladimir Leonov (Hertrampf Yamaha Racing Team), Bastien Mackels, Leandro Mercado (Kawasaki Weber Motos Racing), Hannes Soomer (Enemat Enos Motorsport), Philipp Steinmayr, Balint Kovacs (BCC ALPHA VAN ZON BMW RACING TEAM), and Patrick Hobelsberger (GERT56) had lined up behind them in a tightly packed chain.
But where was Mikhalchik? He emerged in eighth place, and the Ukrainian—whose entire family had traveled to the race—found himself wedged in the middle of the pack. Leonov was the first to drop out of the top three, while Soomer, as expected, had worked his way up. The Estonian with the powerful stride was soon right on Alt’s tail again, just as he had been that morning, after passing Mackels in an unconventional way at the same spot where he’d done so to Florian Alt earlier that day. Alt or Sommer? Who was in the lead now? Every lap brought new dynamics. But Mackels was still in the mix, too. Mercado watched the whole thing from a front-row seat. When the Argentine attacked Mackels, it went well in one respect but backfired in another. Because Mikhalchik had crept up and slipped past both of them. It was incredible. And Alt was at the front, braking like a beast, but Soomer simply chose a different line in the next corner and was past him again.
What had been an increasingly spectacular two-way battle eventually turned into a three-way battle. Mikhalchik was now a force to be reckoned with at the front—and how! It happened right as Soomer and Alt were battling it out in the corner. Both were pushed wide. That was a huge opening for Mikhalchik to pass, and he did just that. After a massive comeback, Mikhalchik won the second race in the IDM Superbike at Most. As disappointed as he was after his second-place finish in the first race, he was all the more beaming with joy after his triumph. And his team boss, Werner Daemen, was absolutely ecstatic, ripping his T-shirt off and celebrating.
Soomer crashed out of the race on the final lap. As a result, Mackels made it onto the podium, rounding out the mix of BMW, Honda, and Yamaha brands. Behind him, Mercado was the first Kawasaki to cross the finish line.
Hobelsberger had to pull out due to a technical issue. This was a bitter pill to swallow for the GERT56 team, especially since Finsterbusch was already out. But one thing is certain: the competition remains extremely tight in Germany’s top motorcycle road racing class.
IDM Superbike, Round 2
1. Ilya MIKHALCHIK (UKR/BMW)
2. Florian ALT (GER/Honda)
3. Bastien MACKELS (BEL/Yamaha)
4. Leandro MERCADO (ARG/Kawasaki)
5. Patrick HOBELSBERGER (GER/BMW)
6. Philipp STEINMAYR (AUT/BMW)
7. Balint KOVACS (HUN/BMW)
8. Max SCHMIDT (GER/BMW)
9. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER/BMW)
10. Daniel KARTHEININGER (GER/Yamaha)