This coming weekend, it’s that time again. The International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) is heading to the legendary TT Circuit Assen. It’s the only track in the world designed primarily for motorcycle racing. The second-oldest and longest racetrack in the Netherlands—after Zandvoort—has hosted the Motorcycle World Championship every year since 1949. And it’s incredibly fast. From August 16–18, 2024, the IDM Superbikes will reach top speeds of over 300 km/h in the oft-cited “Cathedral of Speed.” Two races in Germany’s top road racing class are on the schedule for the fifth of seven events this season. The highlight will feature two additional races each in the IDM Supersport and IDM Supersport 300 classes. The races for the FIM Sidecar World Championship will provide another highlight. The 4.54-kilometer racecourse, with twelve right-hand and six left-hand turns, offers top-class motorcycle racing. Various cup classes round out the program, which promises power and variety from morning to night.
In the IDM Superbike class, Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR/BMW) and Florian Alt (DEU/Honda) are currently locked in a fierce battle for the lead. A year ago, the German broke BMW’s long-standing dominance and clinched the title in the top class for Honda. He wants to defend it—that much is clear—but right now he trails the Ukrainian by eight points. Experience shows that the BMW is lightning fast on the Assen track, and Mikhalchik won both races there a year ago. But 28-year-old Alt is hopeful that he can turn the tables and strike back this time: “BMW has always been strong on this track, but there’s always a chance to beat them. We at Honda have also been working hard behind the scenes. We’ve gotten faster and better compared to last year. We’ll see if that’s enough for us to reclaim the championship lead on Sunday.”
While Mikhalchik and Alt have pulled away from the pack, Toni Finsterbusch (93 points), Patrick Hobelsberger (92), and Jan-Ole Jähnig (89) are hot on their heels. The explosive aspect of this situation is that all three are BMW teammates on the Saxon GERT56 team and shouldn’t knock each other out of contention in the battle. Every brand represented in the championship has at least one rider in the top ten. Ducati has Italian favorite Lorenzo Zanetti in its ranks. Leandro Mercado from Argentina is flying the flag for Kawasaki, and Thomas Gradinger from Austria is the fastest Yamaha rider.
In the IDM Supersport , Andreas Kofler has shifted into high gear. Three wins and three additional podium finishes have given the 19-year-old Yamaha rider from Austria a real boost. His mission: to clinch the title by the end of the year. Close behind, trailing by over 30 points, are Ducati rider Daniel Blin (POL) and Luca de Vleeschauwer (BEL) on Triumph. Despite his lead, Kofler can’t afford to rest on his laurels. De Vleeschauwer has also won two races already, and Blin has podium finishes to his credit as well. One small mistake and everything can change in the highly competitive IDM “shark tank” Supersport. At the Schleizer Dreieck, for example, Kofler finished the first race without scoring any points because, after the race was stopped due to multiple crashes on an oil spill, he failed to return to the pit lane with his motorcycle within the 5-minute time limit. That’s how quickly things can change.
In the small junior class, IDM Supersport 300, the field is small but mighty. Here, Denmark’s Oliver Svendsen holds a commanding lead. His teammates Jeffrey Buis (NLD) and Ruben Bijman (NLD) from Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO-Racing follow at a respectable distance. The successful team from Saxony fields a total of five riders, but that doesn’t mean it’s boring. The difference between victory and defeat is often decided among them in the very last corner—and it comes down to thousandths of a second. And maybe local hero Dylan Czarkowski will manage to defeat the KTM pack for a second time this year in Assen with his Yamaha, just as he did at the Sachsenring? In racing, anything is possible.
After nearly two months of summer break, the FIM Sidecar World Championship is back in action in Assen. The TT Circuit is Bennie Streuer’s home track. The 2015 world champion has had a mixed season so far and arrives in sixth place in the world championship standings with his German passenger, Kevin Kölsch. The Streuer name is a household name in the Netherlands. Bennie’s father, Egbert Streuer, won the world championship title three times. How will Bennie fare on home turf? The championship lead is held by the Swiss-German team of Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt. Trailing them by seven points is the British-French duo of Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau. Next are the British brothers Sam and Tom Christie, followed by the defending champions Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clément (GBR/FRA). The battle between the Yamaha-powered sidecars—featuring LCR and ARS chassis—enters its final round of the year as part of the IDM. The remaining races will take place during the Sidecar Festival in Oschersleben in October. The season finale will be held in Estoril, Portugal, in November.
Fans can expect plenty of action at the IDM round in Assen. There’s hardly any time to catch your breath, as the program also includes two Cup classes on top of that. And don’t forget: On Sunday, August 18, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., the highly anticipated pit walk will take place, where riders will sign autographs and there will be time for a selfie with them. Despite its extremely high level of competition, the IDM is and remains a series you can experience up close. Ticket prices for the motorcycle event in Assen are attractive: 5.00 euros for Friday’s practice sessions, 25.00 euros for Saturday, and 35.00 euros for Sunday. Access to the paddock is already included in these prices.