"Every race is a blast for him," said Ilya Mikhalchik (Champion-Alpha-Van Zon BMW) at Hockenheim. After the first Superbike race in the finale of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM), things looked different. Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) was the winner, and Jan-Ole Jähnig (GERT56) finished second. Mikhalchik, who has been the four-time champion of the top class for three weeks now, wasn’t happy with his third-place finish.
For the fifth time this year, the 28-year-old Ukrainian started the race from pole position. As so often, the BMW team demonstrated its strength with a strong showing across the grid. The Bavarian bestseller, the M 1000 RR, was spread out across the grid all the way down to eighth place, with one exception: Florian Alt was in third place on the grid.
Mikhalchik made it clear right from the start who was boss on the track. His lead didn’t last long, though. Alt took the lead at the Bernie Ecclestone Curve. Jähnig was right on his heels. Mikhalchik was pushed back to fifth place. Instead, there was a surprise contender in Kevin Orgis (ORM Racing Team), who had raced in the Pro Superstock Cup just last year and was now suddenly mixing it up with the big names at the front. The privateer defended his position in the black BMW fiercely and tenaciously, but still had to hand it back to the fast-approaching Mikhalchik on the third lap. From there, Mikhalchik stayed consistently on the ball. Orgis and Jan Mohr (Champion-Alpha-Van Zon BMW) followed at a respectful distance. Was that a tactic, or could the new champion not go any faster? On the eleventh lap, he was clearly looking for a fight, but he hit the brakes far too late during his attack. Alt didn’t mind; Orgis slipped through on the inside. Jähnig lost out. For Mikhalchik, this had ultimately achieved nothing but causing a commotion, except that he now had a different motorcycle in front of and behind him. On the 14th lap, Orgis crashed out of the race; Mikhalchik overtook Alt three times in the Sachs curve, but the rider from Engelskirchen wasn’t done yet. On the fourth attempt, he shut the door on the Ukrainian. However, the battle slowed both of them down, and Jähnig, who had been closing in, seized the opportunity to get back in the mix. The Thuringian was finally right on Alt’s tail, and Mikhalchik was right on Jähnig’s. That’s how it stood after 18 laps, each 3.629 kilometers long. Mikhalchik, who had run out of options by the end, was furious.
“That was a really tough battle; I pushed hard every lap. The BMWs have too much of an advantage now. I hope something gets done about that next year, because it’ll make it more exciting for the fans. A huge thank you goes out to Honda and my team—they do so much behind the scenes to help us get some grip. I fought like a bull in the final laps. I don’t stand much of a chance against the competition coming out of the corners, so I had to counter right on the brakes. I just ignored my injured finger.” Florian Alt held the “1” high once again in the big IDM finale. After the finale, it belongs to Mikhalchik.
Other notable events: Martin Vugrinec (Skach Motors Kawasaki Racing) had to start from the pit lane and chase down the field. This was the penalty for his crash at the Nürburgring, in which he had taken out the unsuspecting Rob Hartog (Team SWPN). After his comeback, the Croatian even managed to score a championship point.
Thomas Gradinger (Eder Racing) made a false start and had to serve a double long lap penalty. Luca Grünwald (BCC-Alpha-Ilmberger Racing Team) suffered a mechanical failure.
IDM Superbike, Round 1
1. Florian ALT (GER), Honda
2. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER), BMW
3. Ilya MIKHALCHIK (GER), BMW
4. Jan MOHR (AUT), BMW
5. Patrick HOBELSBERGER (GER), BMW
6. Lorenzo ZANETTI (ITA), Ducati
7. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER), BMW
8. Bálint KOVÁCS (HUN), BMW
9. Maximilian KOFLER (AUT), Yamaha
10. Milan MERCKELBAGH (NED), BMW
11.Marco FETZ (GER), BMW
12.Max ENDERLEIN (GER), Yamaha
13.Colin VELTHUIZEN (NED), BMW
14.Sandro WAGNER (GER), BMW
15.Moritz JENKNER (GER), BMW