The fact that Bonovo Action BMW riders Garrett Gerloff and Loris Baz won the first Superbike race of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) at the Red Bull Ring wasn’t exactly a huge surprise. Although the IDM Superbike class has never had an American winner, the unsung hero was third-place finisher Philipp Steinmayr (BCC-ALPHA-VAN ZON-BMW).
It wasn't a race like any other, but one with completely new conditions, thanks to an unusual lineup. Top riders Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion), Ilya Mikhalchik (BCC-ALPHA-VAN ZON-BMW), Leandro Mercado (Kawasaki Weber Motos), and Bastien Mackels (Team SWPN) were absent due to a scheduling conflict with the World Endurance Championship and were in Suzuka. On the other hand, the presence of the Bonovo Action BMW team with Garrett Gerloff and Loris Baz brought a touch of Superbike World Championship flair. And of all people, the 20-year-old Superbike “baby of the family,” Max Schmidt (BCC-ALPHA-VAN ZON-BMW), had split the ranks of the World Championship riders in qualifying and secured a spot on the front row.
Gerloff and Baz's performance was a tribute to the Superbike class and was by no means a mere formality. The first attempt at the race was red-flagged after three laps. Björn Stuppi (RR SOCIA RACING TeamNL) had crashed on the wet track.
The new session consisted of eight laps. The track was too dry for rain tires, but too wet for slicks. So rain tires it was. Schmidt actually managed to stay with the World Championship riders for a lap before Gerloff slowed him down. The Wuppertal native emerged from the second lap in third place, followed by Philipp Steinmayr, Toni Finsterbusch (GERT56), Kamil Krzemien (BCC-ALPHA-VAN ZON-BMW), Colin Velthuizen (RR SOCIA RACING TeamNL), and Balint Kovacs (BCC-ALPHA-VAN ZON-BMW). It was a full BMW armada.
Where was Hannes Soomer? The IDM third-place finisher finished in tenth place on his Honda. The races were supposed to be his big chance to gain ground on Alt and Mikhalchik in the overall standings—who weren’t able to score points this time—but the plan backfired. The Estonian had already complained during qualifying that the Honda lacked speed.
Max Schmidt made a mistake in the fourth lap. He missed the turn, drove straight into the gravel, and that was the end of his chances for a podium finish. Finsterbusch then tried to push Steinmayr—who had moved up—off the podium, but Steinmayr defended his position fiercely all the way to the finish line.
Meanwhile, at the front of the pack, the Bonovo riders had also engaged in some intense, team-internal jostling and a head-to-head battle between teammates. In the end, it was American Garrett Gerloff who won the race with a 1.349-second lead over Frenchman Loris Baz. Since the two, as guest riders, don’t receive IDM points, Steinmayr was the big winner, racking up 25 points. He celebrated his first IDM Superbike podium on his home track. Even though he’s usually not one to mince words, Steinmayr was overcome with emotion and initially speechless. “It’s just awesome,” the Austrian gushed afterward, “I was here last week to test, because I thought it might give me a slight advantage, but it was dry for three days.” The persistent wet conditions during the IDM event had ruined that and pushed Steinmayr to his limits as well.
In other news: Vladimir Leonov (Hertrampf Yamaha Racing Team) was the fastest non-BMW rider, despite having been battling a bad case of the flu and a fever for days. Julian Puffe finished eleventh in his IDM comeback. Paul Fröde is already back home. He crashed in the first qualifying session; while he wasn’t injured, his Honda is in the shop for repairs.
IDM Superbike, Round 1
1. Garrett GERLOFF (USA), BMW
2. Loris BAZ (FRA), BMW
3. Philipp STEINMAYR (AUT), BMW
4. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER), BMW
5. Kamil KRZEMIEN (POL), BMW
6. Colin VELTHUIZEN (NLD), BMW
7. Balint KOVACS (HUN), BMW
8. Vladimir LEONOV (UAE), Yamaha
9. Patrick HOBELSBERGER (GER), BMW
10. Hannes SOOMER (EST), Honda