It could have happened four weeks ago in Assen. It should have happened today in the first Superbike race of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM). It finally happened in the second Superbike race: Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) clinched the title for Honda in Germany’s top road racing class. His only remaining rival up to that point, Ilya Mikhalchik (BCC ALPHA VON ZON BMW RACING), didn’t stand a chance and finished as runner-up.
Mikhalchik absolutely had to win, but even then, a 14th-place finish would have been enough for Alt to clinch the title. Due to the reverse grid, Alt—who had finished fourth in the first race—was now on pole position for the second race. Mikhalchik, as the winner, had to start from ninth on the grid; he didn’t get off to a good start and dropped to 18th place by the end of the first lap. Alt, on the other hand, was right up front as the race leader. The race was effectively decided as early as the first lap.
Alt didn’t mind at all that Patrick Hobelsberger (GERT56) practically flew past him. After his bad luck with the transmission in the first race—which had knocked him out of the title race and set him back—the Bavarian had said at the starting line: “I’m just going to have an awesome Sunday afternoon.” And he made sure everyone got to see just what that looked like. Hobelsberger blazed around the Hockenheimring in his GERT56 BMW as if on rails, confidently leading the field and even winning the race with a 2.418-second lead over Hannes Soomer (Enos Enemat Motorsport). Soomer had long secretly hoped that Hobelsberger might make a mistake. But that didn’t happen; instead, the BMW rider rode a flawless race and secured his first victory in the top class, which he joined just a year ago. But it wasn’t just about winning the race—it was about so much more. Before the final race, exactly one point separated Soomer and Hobelsberger in the overall standings. His victory now secured Hobelsberger third place in the standings. Soomer finished fourth overall. The Estonian had repeatedly tried to secure a race win in the IDM on his Honda; he’d come so close so many times, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough. Still, the “Baltic Bullet” has enriched the class in every way.
Behind Soomer, Bastien Mackels (Team SWPN) crossed the finish line in third place as the fastest Yamaha rider. Initially brought in as a replacement for the long-injured Rob Hartog and later made a permanent fixture on the team, he finished seventh overall with a total of three podium finishes. Toni Finsterbusch (GERT56), who had secured a podium finish that morning, placed fourth in the second race.
The fact that Florian Alt raced cautiously, didn’t get caught up in any games, and ultimately finished only fifth did nothing to dampen the cheers that awaited him at the finish line. On the contrary: The 27-year-old German is the 2023 IDM Superbike Champion. Today he secured the biggest victory of his career and, at the same time, lifted a massive weight off Honda’s shoulders. He brought the title back to the brand after 13 years. The last one was won by Australian Karl Muggeridge in 2010 for the team led by Jens Holzhauer. Alt was overjoyed, but also deeply moved when he realized what had just actually happened. He had finished as runner-up four times before; now his dream of winning the title had come true. During the cool-down lap, Alt stood on the footpegs of his Honda CBR 1000 RR-R and basked in the celebration. His team and friends had rushed into the Sachs Curve to welcome him and slip the champion’s shirt over his shoulders. Sponsor X-Lite had a golden helmet ready, and suit manufacturer Schwabenleder presented a leather-look giraffe modeled after the lanky figure of the towering Florian Alt. It was a celebration of joy, a sense of relief. “I’m absolutely thrilled to have brought this title back to Germany,” said Alt, who was incredibly happy and proud.
Mikhalchik still managed to finish sixth in the race, but he'll be able to get over the loss. The Ukrainian is already a three-time champion, and his chances of dethroning Alt at the last moment were pretty slim.
IDM Superbike, Round 2
1. Patrick HOBELSBERGER (GER), BMW
2. Hannes SOOMER (EST), Honda
3. Bastien MACKELS (BEL), Yamaha
4. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER), BMW
5. Florian ALT (GER), Honda
6. Ilya MIKHALCHIK (UKR), BMW
7. Philipp STEINMAYR (AUT), BMW
8. Max SCHMIDT (GER), BMW
9. Colin VELTHUIZEN (NED), BMW
10. Balint KOVACS (HUN), BMW
