The Champion Alpha Racing Van Zon BMW team, led by team boss Werner Daemen, is undoubtedly the most successful team in recent IDM history. Six titles in the past eight years speak for themselves. After reigning Superbike champion Ilya Mikhalchik moved to the British Superbike Championship (BSB), the team had to rebuild for the 2025 season. We asked the team boss about his plans for 2025 during the official BMW Motorrad Motorsport team presentation.
You’ve won six titles over the past eight years and had two exceptionally strong drivers in Markus Reiterberger and Ilya Mikhalchik. You won four of those titles with Ilya, who left the team ahead of the 2025 season. How much does his departure hurt? Does he leave a big void?
Yeah, sure. I really respect him as a person, and that’s definitely the biggest loss. Losing him as a driver is obviously a bummer. But losing him as a person is worse. I’ve talked to him a lot, and I think he had to make that decision.
The BSB Stock is probably his last chance to take the next step. Is that a good thing? He doesn't know, and neither do I. But I understand the decision, and I probably would have made the same choice if I were in his shoes.
Now he has not only left the IDM, but he is also no longer competing in the World Endurance Championship. What led to this decision?
That wasn’t just my decision; it was made in consultation with the team, BMW, and myself. And it was a very difficult decision. But if you’re racing 16 races in the BSB and want to race in the EWC, it’s almost impossible to combine the two. It’s not really feasible. Take Suzuka, for example: he’d have to race there on Sunday and then be in Japan for practice on Tuesday. That’s almost impossible. Our riders have to arrive in Suzuka as early as Friday to acclimatize. I also think he’s underestimating the demands of the BSB. Seven races in the IDM and EWC—that’s doable. Fourteen events in the BSB and endurance racing, I think, is too much. I might be wrong here, but my gut tells me it won’t work.
It wasn't easy for me. I like him. I flew all the way to Kyiv when he was thinking about quitting racing, brought him into the IDM, and we won the championship together. If things don't work out in the BSB, he can always come back.
Is there a race that you, as team manager, are determined to win?
Suzuka. If you’re a true motorsports fan, there are a few races you absolutely have to win: the Isle of Man, Le Mans, Suzuka. A Superbike title is one of them, too. Winning a race in Cremona or Misano is nice, but by next week, nobody will care anymore. But if you win on the Isle of Man, or take the checkered flag at Suzuka or Le Mans—that’s something people will remember for a whole year.
If we could win at Suzuka with BMW—that would be something no European brand has ever achieved. That’s probably why Bagnaia (Editor’s note: Francesco Bagnaia, two-time MotoGP World Champion) is coming this year, because Ducati, just like us, is also desperate to win at Suzuka.
A lot has happened in the EWC team over the past 12 months. Markus Reiterberger is the constant, and Hannes Soomer is now the established reserve rider. You already hinted earlier that BMW Motorrad had a decisive say in the Mikhalchik appointment. Who was the driving force behind Steven Odendaal and Sylvain Guintoli? Was that your decision?
We make decisions like that together. There’s not much to say about Sylvain Guintoli. He was a world champion in World Superbike and the EWC, and he’s a test rider. There was no debate about him back then. Admittedly, Odendaal wasn’t at the top of my list, though. However, BMW compiled a lap time comparison based on race pace. If you disregard the fastest and slowest laps, Steven ranks among the top three on all tracks based on his race average. The decision was confirmed during testing, and he also fits in very well with the team on a personal level.
BMW is releasing a new motorcycle in 2025. Does this present new challenges?
That's not a problem. The engine is very similar to the old one, and the rest of the system has been improved. Of course, there's always a bit of uncertainty.
The new motorcycle is also being used in the IDM, but there have been a lot of changes, especially on the personnel side. Last year, you had a full roster with Jan Mohr, Phillip Steinmayr, Bálint Kovács, Ilya Mikhalchik, and Max Schmidt. Max Schmidt is moving to BCC, and Steinmayr has retired. Who will we see in your pit this season?
Jan (Mohr) isn’t racing with us anymore either. We already supported Milan Merckelbagh last year, and he’s staying. (Hannes) Soomer is also racing with us. Bálint Kovács isn’t 100% certain yet, but hopefully he’ll stay too. We plan to start 2025 with two top drivers. Soma Görbe will be in a different pit, but he’ll be racing with an engine from us and will also be supported by us. In the Stock class, we’ll be racing with Ricardo Brink and Julius Ilmberger.
Winning the EWC title is a definite goal for you. Does that also apply to the IDM title with Hannes Soomer?
Absolutely. It’s definitely going to be tough this year, but that’s our clear goal. People have often said, “You can’t win the championship every year,” but it’s worked out quite a few times, and we’ve always been in the running for the top spot. But there’s also Holzhauer, GERT56, and Ducati Frankfurt to contend with. So it won’t be easy.