With a lead of just two points in the premier class of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM), Florian Alt heads to Most, Czech Republic, this coming weekend. The competition is heating up in the IDM Superbike class. The other classes are just as close. From June 21 to 23, 2024, we’ll see who can best navigate the twelve right-hand and nine left-hand turns at the Autodrom Most and who can make their plans a reality.
Florian Alt (GER/Honda) likes the racetrack in the mining town in the northwest of the Czech Republic. Here, the defending Superbike champion stood on the podium twice a year ago, including once at the very top. He is still waiting for his first win of the current season. The 28-year-old German from Engelskirchen desperately needs it if he wants to keep three-time IDM Superbike champion Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR/BMW) behind him. The Ukrainian has won the last two races. Now only two championship points separate the rivals. Alt didn’t miss the chance to test at the Schleizer Dreieck last Friday. He found that the new version of his Honda performs better than the previous one. This makes him optimistic and once again confirms the results of his spring test in Most. With Alt, Mikhalchik, and Lorenzo Zanetti (I/Ducati), a trio of riders from three nations on three different motorcycle brands has formed at the top of the IDM Superbike standings. Zanetti had won the season opener at the Sachsenring. The battles are close and fierce, but fair. The field is incredibly competitive, so that almost all riders in the top ten have a chance at victory. The Superbikes reach top speeds of over 300 km/h.
The tension is palpable for Patrick Hobelsberger (GER/BMW), who lost the championship lead due to a disqualification and slipped to fourth place in Germany’s top motorcycle racing class. The Bavarian is furious but also extremely motivated to turn the tables again. However, Bálint Kovács (HU/BMW), Leandro Mercado (ARG/Kawasaki), Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW), Toni Finsterbusch (D/BMW), and Maximilian Kofler (A/Yamaha) will all have a say in the matter.
After a bumpy start to the season and four races he was unable to finish, Czech rider Oliver König (Ducati) is looking to do better on home soil. Whether the local hero will even score his first championship points will be revealed on Sunday.
Wie in der IDM Superbike trennen die Spitzenreiter auch in der etwas Supersport-Klasse nur zwei Punkte. Luca de Vleeschauwer (B/Triumph) hat mit einem Doppelsieg in Oschersleben den Titelfavoriten Andreas Kofler (A/Yamaha) stark in Bedrängnis gebracht. Triumph hat es gefreut. Es waren die ersten Siege des Herstellers in der IDM überhaupt. Und dass die Junioren in der Klasse so auftrumpfen würden, war eine Wucht. Nun darf auch in Most mit einer starken Präsenz der Rookies in Form von Lennox Lehmann (D/Yamaha), Dirk Geiger (D/Honda) und Marvin Siebdrath (D/Yamaha) sowie auch alten Haudegen wie dem WM-erfahrenen Kyle Smith (GB/Kawasaki) gerechnet werden. Und wie werden sich die tschechischen Triumph-Brüder Filip und Peter Feigl oder Štepán Zuda (Ducati), der beim Saisonauftakt sogar gewonnen hat, schlagen? Man darf gespannt sein.
It looks like some races will once again be decided in the final meters of the last lap. The battle between the manufacturers has been at an all-time high for years now. Now the bar has been raised even higher. In 2024, more manufacturers than ever before will be competing in the championship. The lineup includes: BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, KTM, Triumph, and MV Agusta.
KTM ist eine Macht in der IDM Supersport 300. Hier feiert das Team Freudenberg die jahrelang betriebene Nachwuchsarbeit. Die sächsische Crew hat schon einige Fahrer bis an die WM-Spitze geführt und ist das Maß der Dinge in der Nachwuchsliga.
Fans of sidecar racing are also in for a treat in Most. A packed field is expected for the FIM Sidecar World Championship races, led by Harry Payne/Kevin Rousseau (GB/F) ahead of Markus Schlosser/Luca Schmidt (CH/D).
One highlight follows another on the track. The program is rounded out by various cup classes. The IDM weekend guarantees non-stop action. IDM admission prices range from 5.00 euros/125 CZK for a Friday ticket to 40.00 euros/980 CZK for the entire weekend. Anyone who purchases an event ticket also gets free access to the paddock.
