Instead of being the hunter, Florian is the hunted for the first time this year in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM). This is a completely new feeling for the star of the Holzhauer Racing Promotion Team. Now, the defending Superbike class champion has been preparing for the new season in Spain—on a brand-new Honda Fireblade, the first models of which were only delivered in February. The fact is: a lot of fine-tuning is still needed to be competitive by the season opener in May at the Sachsenring. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old champion sends a message to the competition: “We won’t be easy prey.”
Following a successful 2023 season, in which Alt won a total of five races and secured four additional podium finishes, extending his contract with Jens Holzhauer’s HRP team was a foregone conclusion. In his debut year with Honda, Alt had secured the title for the brand for the first time in 13 years. As satisfied and happy as the team still is about the championship victory, it has become all the more clear to them in recent weeks that it will take a great deal of effort to be among the front-runners again in 2024.
The deck has been reshuffled in Germany’s top motorcycle road racing series. All teams have improved both their performance and their bikes, and with Estonian rider Hannes Soomer, one of the toughest competitors has switched from Alt to BMW. In recent years, the manufacturer has been racking up titles like they were on an assembly line. The competition won’t be making the same mistakes as last year either—mistakes that ultimately helped them get through a weaker second half of the season.
With Alt’s new Honda, nothing has remained the same compared to the previous model—except for the rear end. Tensions were understandably high during the test in Spain. The Japanese HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) has made the Fireblade’s participation in the national championships a top priority. In addition to the HRP team with Florian Alt, the official Superbike teams from England and Spain also took part in the test. Just how seriously Honda is taking this project was evident from the participation of renowned project manager Takeo Yokoyama, the long-time mentor of eight-time motorcycle world champion Marc Márquez. For Alt, it was a valuable experience to be able to work with such a luminary. The German got off to a good start and was able to post strong lap times on the final day at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo near Valencia, clearly demonstrating the Honda’s further-increased potential.
And there will be more appearances in the Superbike World Championship. That has been agreed upon with Honda, based on lessons learned from last year’s wildcard appearance. When it comes to equipment, Alt is counting on factory support from Honda. Since there is now direct contact with HRC, the conditions are better than ever. In any case, Alt says: “We learned a lot last year. When we race, we’ll look better. I can promise that.”