If Florian Alt wins both races in the IDM Superbike class at the TT Circuit Assen on Sunday, he would clinch the title early in Germany’s top racing class. But the Honda rider isn’t focused on the championship at all.
Florian Alt has won five races this year, and every time he’s lined up at the start, he’s finished on the podium. His consistency has given him a 54-point lead over Hannes Soomer in the overall standings. Even Alt’s absence from the Red Bull Ring—due to his commitments at the World Endurance Championship in Suzuka at the same time—didn’t affect his lead.
But instead of focusing on the championship title right now, the 27-year-old from Team Holzhauer Racing Promotion says: “First and foremost, we have to be competitive enough to win. That will be very difficult here because BMW performs very well on this track.” Three-time Superbike champion Ilya Mikhalchik (BCC ALPHA VAN ZON BMW RACING) dominated Friday’s free practice sessions. “The goal will be to close the gap on him,” says Alt, who was fourth fastest, “but he also has nothing to lose. The setup on his bike was already perfect in the first free practice session. The team has put everything together based on the experience of recent years. We’re just getting started.” In the championship standings, the Ukrainian is sixth overall. He’s not in the running for the title.
Alt had expected, however, that Hannes Soomer (Enos Enemat Motorsport), who is second in the standings, would pick up more points at the Red Bull Ring in his absence and close the gap on him, but he also realizes: “Both he and I need to find a solid foundation at every track. We were fantastic at the Sachsenring and unbeatable at Oschersleben. We struggled in Schleiz, and Most was good. Conditions change on every track, and we didn’t test here in Assen.”
The two qualifying sessions will take place on Saturday, August 19, 2023. The races on Sunday will be broadcast via a free livestream at www.idm.de/live. It’s going to be exciting.