The first race of the IDM Superbike series at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben was more dramatic than any script could have imagined. After 18 laps, the victory went to Hannes Soomer (Masteroil Alpha Van Zon BMW). There were certainly several contenders who just needed to seize the opportunity. But the basic requirement is still to stay on the bike—or, in other words, to get the bike across the finish line.
Pole-sitter Lukas Tulovic (Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt) was really looking forward to the first race. The Superbike rookie was already feeling pretty good about his half-second lead in qualifying. Finally, a Ducati in the lead. That went down a treat with team boss Matthias Moser, too.
Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion), the 2023 champion and 2024 runner-up, admitted that he had slept like a log last night. Nevertheless, the only Honda rider in the field had been giving it some thought. “I was able to finish qualifying in second place with a full-out lap. The BMWs and Ducatis now have so many advantages that they simply have much more performance. At most, a podium finish is within our reach today—if that even works out.” The 29-year-old was playing it down, as he’s actually faster than last year. The first BMW, slightly offset from him, was also on the front row and belonged to Jan-Ole Jähnig (GERT56). The variety of brands promised maximum entertainment value.
After the start, Alt sprinted away from the line. Tulovic countered in the Hotel Curve. They battled it out and nearly collided because they both veered off the ideal line. That was the chance for Leandro “Tati” Mercado (Masteroil Alpha Van Zon BMW) to seize the lead. He’s one to watch in 2025.
The red diva parks at the side of the road
The drama in the arena began abruptly as early as the third lap. Alt experienced a violent sideways slide while braking. This was clearly not his fault, but rather a problem with the Honda. “My rear wheel locked up at the end of the straight, and I’m glad I didn’t end up falling off,” he said after returning to the pits.
Just a few turns later, Tulovic was also out of the race due to technical issues. The potential title contender had to park his red diva on the side of the track. All speculation and predictions had vanished into thin air after two and a half laps.
Mercado continued to lead the pack. Trailing the Argentine by a wide margin were his teammate Hannes Soomer and his GERT56 teammates Jan-Ole Jähnig and Toni Finsterbusch. This resulted, so to speak, in a one-two finish for Werner Daemen’s BMW championship-winning team, with the next BMW duo right behind them. Lorenzo Zanetti, in fifth place, was riding the only remaining Ducati and, at the same time, the first non-BMW brand.
Soomer is closing the gap
Thanks to the retirements and the jostling that had put him in a comfortable position with a three-and-a-half-second lead by the midpoint of the race, Mercado was now practically handed his first win of the season on a silver platter. He was on his way to his first-ever IDM Superbike victory. But the drama of the race wasn’t over yet. Soomer was closing in relentlessly. The gap shrank to four-tenths of a second. On the penultimate lap, Mercado skidded across the asphalt with his front wheel buckling. It was all over. Marco Fetz also ended up in the grass.
Soomer won the opening race on the yellow-and-black BMW. The Estonian’s signature blue is now only visible on his helmet. Finsterbusch had overtaken his teammate Jähnig in the second half of the race and was glad he’d managed to hold on so well. Yesterday, he had been struggling with a stomach bug. Zanetti finished fourth. Jan Mohr, who switched from Yamaha, broke up the BMW dominance by finishing in eighth place. The many position changes ensured that even the hard-hit Skach Motors Kawasaki Team managed to score six championship points.
IDM Superbike Results, Race 1
1. Hannes SOOMER (EST), BMW
2. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER), BMW
3. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER), BMW
4. Lorenzo ZANETTI (ITA), Ducati
5. Leon ORGIS (GER), BMW
6. Máté SZÁMADÓ (HUN), BMW
7. Milan MERCKELBAGH (NED), BMW
8. Jan MOHR (AUT), Yamaha
9. Ricardo BRINK (NED), BMW
10. Maximilian KOFLER (AUT), Yamaha
11. Twan SMITS (NLD), Yamaha
12. Kevin ORGIS (GER), BMW
13. Max SCHMIDT (GER), BMW
14. Martin VUGRINEC (CRO), Kawasaki
15. G Moritz JENKNER (GER), BMW
