IDM-Finale at Hockenheim: Full throttle until the last flag
Stuttgart, 21 September 2021 – The countdown to the thrilling action at the Hockenheimring is on. The grand finale of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) will take place at the Motodrom in Baden from 24 to 26 September 2021. In a total of seven classes, the participants will really put their foot down and fight for their places in the overall standings. In addition, a number of guest entrants in all classes will add to the excitement. For the spectators, who can be on site in the best of weather conditions and in compliance with the 3G rule (vaccinated, recovered, tested), this means: excitement without a break. The admission ticket includes access to the paddock.
Even though the cancellation of Kawasaki star Valentin Debise (Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing) in the IDM premier class Superbike 1000 due to injury means that the new title holder, Ilya Mikhalchik (EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW), has been confirmed in purely mathematical terms, the air will be on fire in the top class of the IDM at the finale. Florian Alt (Wilbers-BMW), Luca Grünwald (Kiefer Racing, BMW), Bastien Mackels (Team SWPN, Yamaha) and Vladimir Leonov (Hertrampf MO Yamaha Racing Team) will decide the other podium places among themselves in a razor-thin match. Alt and Grünwald, for example, are separated by a single point before the last two races of the season. If three-time IDM Superbike champion Markus Reiterberger (BCC Racing, BMW) or Julian Puffe (GERT56, BMW) also show top form on race Sunday, this is likely to have a decisive impact at the top. Before the decisions in Hockenheim, all the participating brands of the IDM Superbike 1000 are in the top ten: BMW, Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha, plus riders from six nations. Crowd favourite Alessandro Polita (HRP-Honda), however, will unfortunately be missing this weekend. The Italian had to undergo an appendectomy at short notice. With his compatriot Luca Vitali, a strong replacement rider was found for the Honda.
But not only on the race track, but also in the IDM paddock, the spectators will have a lot to look forward to. With their own protective clothing and an appropriate rider’s licence, they can get active themselves. BMW, Honda and Kawasaki will travel to the end of the season with their show trucks and offer test rides on current production motorbikes.
In the IDM Supersport 600, Patrick Hobelsberger (Bonovo action by MGM Racing, Yamaha) wants to win two more races and then be celebrated as champion. Valentin Debise, who was a double starter in two classes, will not be able to challenge for the title because of his wrist injury. But Hobelsberger, who is ambitious for the World Championships, is an extremely fast rider anyway and also one of the few who have not had a retirement in the race so far. Behind them, the last word has not yet been spoken between Max Enderlein (MR32 Racing, Yamaha) and Rob Hartog (Füsport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki). Glenn van Straalen, currently lying in third place in the overall standings, will no longer be able to intervene in the points due to a parallel World Championship event.
The finale in Hockenheim will be an explosive number for the IDM Supersport 600. After all, it is also home to Kevin Wahr (MVR-Racing, Yamaha) from Nagold, who started late in the season and has always been one of the favourites at the Motodrom in Baden and could tip the scales.
What’s going on in the IDM Supersport 300 junior class? With Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team), Marvin Siebdrath and his Belgian team-mate Luca de Vleeschauwer (both Füsport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki), three riders still have a chance of winning the title, with Lehmann probably having the best prospects of overall victory thanks to his 18-point lead in the championship. Last weekend, the 15-year-old from Dresden made his debut in the Supersport 300 World Championship in Spain (Barcelona). If he can carry the momentum from there, there is nothing standing in the way of his IDM title defence. Lennox Lehmann could write IDM history as the first title defender in the fiercely contested junior class. His direct rival Marvin Siebdrath, however, will use every little chance to win the championship. The score will only be settled at the end.
In the IDM Sidecar, the German duo Josef Sattler/Luca Schmidt are on course for the title ahead of Markus Schwegler (DEU)/Ondrej Kopecky (CZE) and Peter Kimeswenger (AUT)/Kevin Kölsch (DEU). Lurking in fourth place in the standings is eight-time sidecar world champion Tim Reeves (GBR)/Kevin Rousseau (FRA). Unlike the other classes, however, the sidecar finals will not be held until the first weekend in October at Oschersleben. So the Hockenheim rounds are the penultimate stop on the calendar for the spectacular teams.
Further action in the finale will be provided by the IDM Superstock 600 Cup, which is integrated into the starting field of the IDM Supersport 600 with separate classification, the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup, the Twin Cup and the Pro Superstock Cup. One event chases the other. If you want to be there up close and in colour, you can secure an entry ticket as quickly as possible at:
Tickets can also be purchased on site. Admission prices are unchanged from previous years. On Saturday, admission costs 19.00 euros, on Sunday 25.00 euros. The weekend ticket is 35.00 Euros. All tickets include access to the paddock. Admission is free for young people up to and including 17 years of age. The IDM can be followed via a free livestream at www.idm.de/live.
Image: IDM
