[English below]
Oliver Svendsen dominated the first race of the IDM Sportbike class at Most and cruised to an unchallenged victory. Inigo Iglesias finished a strong second despite a broken chain, while Petr Svoboda took third place after making an evasive maneuver.
Chain broke before the start
The start of the first race of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) in Most went anything but according to plan for Inigo Iglesias (Wematik Racing by RT Motorsports). During the sighting lap, the chain on his newly built motorcycle snapped—of all bikes, the very one he had received just this week. Instead of starting the race from second on the grid, the Spaniard had to turn into the pit lane. There, the newly formed Wematik Racing by RT Motorsports team managed to fix the problem in time. Nevertheless, Iglesias had to start the formation lap from the pits and line up at the back of the field.
Svendsen is definitely on his way
Oliver Svendsen (Triumph Germany Racing Team), who started the race from pole position, confidently defended his lead and immediately took the top spot. Iglesias launched an impressive charge and was already in fifth place after the first corner. On the very same lap, he moved up to second place—but Svendsen had already built a comfortable lead, which he maintained all the way to the finish. “I never had any doubt that I would win today,” explained the 21-year-old Dane. “My pace was already strong in all the practice sessions, and I was able to maintain that consistently right from the start today.” Even Iglesias couldn’t do anything about it.
Despite missing out on the win, the Spaniard was very pleased: “My team fought like lions to get the bike ready in time. To finish second after such a turbulent week and all the chaos before the start feels like a victory,” said the experienced World Championship rider, who competed in the Sportbike class this weekend with a new team.
An annoying mistake by Svoboda
Czech rider Petr Svoboda (WRP Racing), for whom Most is his home track, impressed with a third-place finish. After attempting to pass Iglesias on the start-finish straight, he had to use the run-off area because he braked too late and wanted to avoid a crash. He lost a few positions in the process but quickly fought his way back up to third place. “That was a stupid mistake that cost me my chance to keep up with Inigo,” Svoboda said, frustrated. He plans to go all out again in Sunday’s second race.
Personal bests
Ty Henriksen (Henriksen Racing) from Denmark achieved the best result of his IDM career so far with a fourth-place finish. The 18-year-old prevailed in a thrilling duel against Ben Kugler (MotoLife). “I’m overjoyed. The hard work my father and I put into the new bike paid off today,” Henriksen said after the race. Kugler had to settle for fifth place.
Alexander Weizel also put in a strong performance. In a tight battle, he fought hard to defend sixth place against Cedrik Holme Nielsen (Motorradtke GYTR by Penz13) and Rick Kooistra (Pearle Gebben Racing)—and was rewarded with his first top-six finish in the IDM. Holme Nielsen finished seventh, with Kooistra following in eighth place.
Hänse: Loser of the Day
The unlucky rider of the day was Justin Hänse (Motorradtke GYTR by Penz13). Starting from third on the grid, he dropped back to sixth place in the opening corners. While trying to fight his way back up the field, he lost control of the front wheel in a right-hand turn a few laps later. As he slid across the asphalt, his Yamaha rolled on without a rider and crashed into the air fences. Hänse didn’t give up, though: He ran to his motorcycle, righted it with the help of the track marshals, and finished the race—albeit far behind the leaders.
The next round of the IDM Sportbike series is already on the schedule for tomorrow. Race two starts at 1:55 p.m. – watch it live at www.idm.de/live.
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IDM SPB: Oliver Svendsen dominates – Iglesias fights back despite a broken chain
Oliver Svendsen dominated the first race of the IDM Sportbike class at Most, cruising unchallenged to victory. Inigo Iglesias claimed an impressive second place despite suffering a broken chain, while Petr Svoboda secured third after being forced to swerve out of the way.
Chain break before the start
The opening race of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) in Most did not go as planned for Inigo Iglesias (Wematik Racing by RT Motorsports). During the sighting lap, the chain on his newly built motorcycle snapped—ironically, the very bike he had received just earlier that week. Instead of starting from second on the grid, the Spaniard had to pull into the pit lane. There, the newly formed Wematik Racing by RT Motorsports team managed to fix the issue just in time. However, Iglesias had to begin the warm-up lap from the pit lane and start the race from the back of the field.
Svendsen is unstoppable up front
Oliver Svendsen (Triumph Germany Racing Team) started from pole position and confidently defended his lead, immediately taking control at the front. Iglesias launched an incredible comeback, climbing to fifth place by the first corner. By the end of the first lap, he had already moved into second—but Svendsen had built a comfortable lead, which he maintained all the way to the finish line.
“I never had any doubts that I would win today,” said the 21-year-old Dane. “My pace was strong in all practice sessions, and I was able to consistently deliver that from the start.” Iglesias had no way to challenge him.
Despite missing out on victory, the Spaniard was very pleased: “My team fought like lions to get the bike ready in time. After such a chaotic week and the drama before the start, finishing second feels like a win,” said the rider, who has experience in the world championship and joined the Sportbike class this weekend with a new team.
A costly mistake for Svoboda
Czech rider Petr Svoboda (WRP Racing), competing on home soil in Most, impressed with a third-place finish. After overtaking Iglesias on the start-finish straight, he had to take the escape road when he braked too late and wanted to avoid a crash. He lost several positions but quickly fought his way back to third.
“That was a stupid mistake that cost me the chance to stay with Inigo,” Svoboda lamented. He aims to come back stronger in Race 2 on Sunday.
Personal bests
Ty Henriksen (Henriksen Racing) from Denmark achieved the best result of his IDM career so far with a fourth-place finish. The 18-year-old won a thrilling battle against Ben Kugler (MotoLife).
“I’m over the moon. The hard work my father and I put into the new bike really paid off today,” Henriksen said after the race. Kugler had to settle for fifth.
Alexander Weizel also put in a strong performance. In a close battle, he fiercely defended sixth place against Cedrik Holme Nielsen (Motorradtke GYTR by Penz13) and Rick Kooistra (Pearle Gebben Racing), securing his first top-six finish in the IDM. Holme Nielsen finished seventh, with Kooistra close behind in eighth.
Hänse – Today's Tale of Misfortune
The unluckiest rider of the day was Justin Hänse (Motorradtke GYTR by Penz13). Starting from third on the grid, he dropped to sixth within the opening corners. While trying to regain ground, he lost the front end in a right-hander just a few laps later. He slid across the asphalt while his unmanned Yamaha continued into the airfences.
But Hänse didn’t give up: he ran back to his bike, got it upright again with the help of track marshals, and completed the race – albeit well behind the field.
The next round of the IDM Sportbike takes place tomorrow. Race 2 starts at 1:55 PM and can be watched live at www.idm.de/live.
IDM Sportbike, Race 1 Results
- Oliver SVENDSEN (DEN), Triumph Daytona 660
- Inigo IGLESIAS (ESP), Triumph Daytona 660
- Petr SVOBODA (CZE), Aprilia RS 660
- Ty HENRIKSEN (DEN), Aprilia RS 660
- Ben KUGLER (GER), Aprilia RS 660
- Alexander WEIZEL (GER), Aprilia RS 660
- Cedric HOLME NIELSEN (GER), Yamaha YZF-R7
- Rick KOOISTRA (NLD), Triumph Daytona 660
- Korbinian BRANDL (GER), Aprilia RS 660
- Kristoffer KÖNIG (GER), Aprilia RS 660
- Petr NAJMAN (CZE), Aprilia RS 660
- Justin HÄNSE (GER), Yamaha YZF-R7
DNF: Anton SÖDERGREN (SWE)
DNF: Sven SEIDLER (GER)