The new champion has been crowned. Lukas Tulovic (Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt) won the IDM Superbike title on a Ducati in the first final race at the Hockenheimring. Until then, Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) had managed to keep the championship race open until the final event on his Honda. He finished as runner-up. The decision came down to a dramatic two-part finale featuring race interruptions.
An Emotional State of Emergency at Ducati
Right in the first lap, a fireball erupted in the cross-section. Lorenzo Zanetti (Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt), who was presumably nudged, lost control of his motorcycle and veered toward Maximilian Kofler (Yamalube Motorsport Kofler). The Italian struck the Austrian squarely in the side. Both riders crashed. Zanetti’s Ducati was sent flying through the air and slammed into the ground with full force. It narrowly missed Maximilian Kofler’s body. The motorcycle, torn to pieces, caught fire and set a trail of flames along that section of the track. The race was red-flagged. Both riders were uninjured.
Emotions were running high at Triple M Racing Ducati Frankfurt. On the one hand, the team had to come to terms with the shock of their rider’s crash; on the other hand, Lukas Tulovic was on the verge of winning the IDM Superbike title.
Florian Alt got off to the best start at the restart. Winning the race and leading from the front was the only thing he could do to keep his title hopes alive. But it would have taken a miracle for that to happen. Scoring the nine points still needed to win the championship was a piece of cake for Tulovic. The 25-year-old from Baden-Württemberg didn’t hold back. He made a very daring and bold move on the inside to pass Alt. The rider from North Rhine-Westphalia fought back, leading to a wild back-and-forth battle for the lead. Both Tulovic and Alt went on the offensive full throttle; there was no sign of caution. “I didn’t expect Tulo to take the lead after just three laps,” Alt said.
Tulovic Wins the Title with a Victory
Bálint Kovács (Masteroil Alpha Van Zon BMW), who had started the race from pole position, was in second place at the start but fell back to fifth. Toni Finsterbusch (GERT56 by RS Speedbikes), on the other hand, kicked it into high gear. The Saxon even led the race on the fifth lap before Tulovic reclaimed the lead.
In the sixth lap, the race was once again stopped by a red flag. Guest rider Patrick Hobelsberger had crashed and slammed into the air fences at the SACHS curve. One of the giant air cushions collapsed and had to be replaced. The race was scored at half points: Tulovic ahead of Finsterbusch and Alt.
Tulovic was thus crowned champion in a memorable race that he won, just as he had hoped. Today, he claimed the eighth victory of his Superbike career. The 25-year-old Ducati rider has left his mark on the 2025 IDM Superbike season.
IDM Superbike, Race 1
1. Lukas TULOVIC (GER), Ducati
2. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER), BMW
3. Florian ALT (GER), Honda
4. Hannes SOOMER (EST), BMW
5. Bálint KOVÁCS (HUN), BMW
6. Kevin ORGIS (GER), BMW
7. Leandro MERCADO (ARG), BMW
8. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER), BMW
9. Twan SMITS (NED), Yamaha
10. Milan MERCKELBAGH (NED), BMW
11. Soma GÖRBE (HUN), BMW
12. Jan MOHR (AUT), Yamaha
13. Roberto TAMBURINI (ITA), BMW
14. Marco FETZ (DEU), BMW
15. Sandro WAGNER (DEU), BMW