IDM SPB: "Korbi" Brandl Claims Victory After a Barrage of Penalties

The second race of the IDM Sportbike series in Assen was full of drama—not only because of the changeable weather conditions—but also because it ended quite differently from how it was initially celebrated at the podium ceremony.

Rain, Interruption, and a Fresh Start

On race Sunday, the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) saw typical April weather—but in August: sunshine, clouds, and drizzle kept alternating. Just as in Saturday’s race, Kas Beekmans (VLR-NIWA Racing), Harrison Dessoy (PHR Performance Triumph), Petr Svoboda (WRP Racing), and Inigo Iglesias (Wematik Racing by RT Motorsports) formed the leading group. Svoboda, in particular, was aggressive and resolutely shook up the leading group.

But in lap four, a light drizzle suddenly began to fall. Since the track had become dangerously wet in places, race officials called off the race. The restart took place according to the “Quick-Start Procedure” over five laps and was declared a “Wet Race”—a standard procedure following a rain-induced suspension. However, since the drizzle quickly stopped and the track began to dry out again, all drivers opted for slick tires.

Exciting showdowns right up to the end

After the restart, Beekmans immediately took the lead, closely followed by Dessoy. The two pulled away slightly, while Svoboda and Iglesias battled for third place—and thus for crucial points in the fight for the championship lead.

Lurking behind them were the Germans Justin Hänse and Cedric Holme-Nielsen (both riding GYTR by Penz13 motorcycles). The battle between Svoboda and Iglesias finally came to a head on the final lap: Svoboda passed Iglesias on the inside of the first corner, but in doing so strayed slightly too far onto the outside curb. Iglesias, for his part, pulled back onto the ideal line in preparation for the next left-hand turn. Since Svoboda also wanted to swing in there, the two riders made contact. Svoboda crashed, while Iglesias was able to continue the race.

At the front, Beekmans and Dessoy were locked in a thrilling duel right down to the final meters. Beekmans barely managed to cross the finish line as the winner—thanks in part to the short distance between the final chicane, where his bike briefly wobbled and lost speed, and the finish line. Iglesias finished third ahead of Hänse.
The original order at the finish was: Beekmans, Dessoy, Iglesias, Hänse, Rick Kooistra (Pearle Gebben Racing), Korbinian Brandl (AK Racing Team), Micky Winkler (WSC-Racing), Kevin De Haan (VLR-NIWA Racing), Anton Södergren (Triumph Germany Racing Team), Luis Rammerstorfer (Freudenberg RoRa-Paligo Racing), Alexander Weizel (AK Racing Team), Kristoffer König (ViVa by Peuker & Streeb), Holme-Nielsen, and Sven Seidler (ViVa by Peuker & Streeb).

Penalties throw the results into disarray

But the joy was short-lived: Eight of the 16 drivers were retroactively penalized by race officials for failing to turn on the required rain lights at the restart. Each of them was set back three places. Anton Södergren was also penalized because his tire stickers were not affixed in accordance with the rules during the second race.

The incident between Svoboda and Iglesias was also investigated in more detail—since one of the two had already left, the stewards postponed their decision until the next IDM weekend at the Nürburgring.

Debut Victory for Korbinian Brandl

In the end, Korbinian Brandl (AK Racing Team) benefited from the numerous penalties: The German was declared the winner—his first-ever victory in the IDM and, at the same time, the first triumph for an Aprilia RS 660 in the Sportbike class.

IDM Sportbike, Race 2 – (after penalties)