IDM Hockenheim: 2025 finale with all its aspects
The 2025 International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) season began in May and came to an end last weekend at the Hockenheimring. The Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team, led by Belgian Werner Daemen, was represented in the IDM Superbike by Leandro “Tati” Mercado (Argentina), Hannes Soomer (Estonia), Bálint Kovács (Hungary) and Milan Merckelbagh (Netherlands). At the end of the weekend, they were able to celebrate victory in the manufacturers’ classification together with BMW. Ricardo Brink (Netherlands/BMW), Julius Ilmberger (Germany/BMW) and Ouri Bikkems (Belgium/BMW) were once again competing in the Pro STK 1000.
Leandro Mercado arrived at the Hockenheimring motivated to finish the season in style and had even picked up his family during a short detour to his adopted home of Italy to celebrate the final with them and the team. The Argentine made life difficult for himself in practice. A slip-up demanded everything from his team to get him back on track at the end of the practice session. Mercado then managed to complete two laps. He was in eighth place on the starting grid.
In the two races, the man from Team Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW finished in 7th and 5th place. Race 1 was marked by two red flags, and in Race 2, Mercado’s wish for a podium finish did not come true either. ‘I was at the limit,’ he said afterwards. ‘I had a lot of spinning and had to reduce my speed a little when braking at the end. I wanted to pass Jan-Ole Jähnig, but it wasn’t possible. At the Hockenheimring, there are only a few overtaking opportunities when you’re travelling at a similar speed to your opponent.’
‘I am disappointed,’ he admitted. ‘But I couldn’t do any more.’ When asked about his future, Mercado assured us that he would very much like to stay with the team. He has already had initial talks with Werner Daemen, and further discussions will follow soon.
Hannes Soomer had not been in his home country of Estonia for some time and travelled directly from the World Endurance Championship final in France to the Hockenheimring with another trophy in his luggage. There, he was not only supported by his father as usual, but his loyal fans from Estonia had also turned out in force in the packed stands, waving all kinds of flags.
After Superpole 2, Soomer secured a place on the front row for his Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team with the third-fastest time. In the first race, which was marked by two interruptions, all tactical plans were ruined. After the second and final interruption, Soomer was classified fourth, the race was not resumed and the drivers received half the points.
In the second race, the Estonian produced images that noticeably raised his team’s pulse. First, the man from Team Masteroil-alpha-van Zon-BMW was seen in the leading group after he had fought his way to the front. Then he was seen off course with his BMW, but after an unplanned rescue manoeuvre, he was back on the track. A little later, live images showed two yellow and black motorcycles in the dirt. ‘I wanted to pass my teammate Merckelbagh,’ Soomer described the scene afterwards, ‘and thought he had seen me, but he hadn’t. An unfortunate end to an otherwise good season.’ Soomer was still ranked 13th.
Bálint Kovács, at 24 the youngest rider in Werner Daemen’s IDM quartet, earned the highest praise from his team boss at the end of the weekend. Not only did the Hungarian deliver in the World Endurance Championship final, but he also showed impressive form at the Hockenheimring, which has always been a good track for BMW riders.
After leading in all practice sessions, he set the fastest time in the all-important Superpole 2, securing the first pole position of his IDM career. ‘I already had good speed,’ said the Hungarian. ‘But you have to be honest, practice and racing are two different things. A victory in the race would be something else entirely.’ Kovács was denied victory on race Sunday. But he once again proved his fighting spirit. After finishing fifth in a chaotic first race, which ended with a stoppage and half the points being awarded, he didn’t let anything slip in race 2 and took the trophy for third place.
‘Unfortunately, the first race only lasted five laps,’ said the pole man, “so no one could really show what they were capable of over a full race distance. The answer came in the second race. I was only six tenths of a second away from victory and only six hundredths of a second away from second place. I fought for 18 laps at a crazy pace. What a way to end the year. I am very happy and grateful to everyone who contributed to this. At the beginning of the year, I watched the first race at home with a broken collarbone, but now I was part of the leading group in both races and started from pole position. And all that after the EWC podium finish.”
Milan Merckelbagh joined the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team this year. The Dutchman had once again set his sights high for the final race of the season. He was already happy on Friday. After a brisk lap in Superbike Pre Practice, Merckelbagh made the important leap into Superpole 2 and was among the top 12 in the championship. On Saturday, he battled with the top riders for the best starting positions. The 24-year-old Dutchman, who is brimming with ambition, was only moderately satisfied with his 14th place on the grid. ‘It’s all so close,’ he said, looking at the results lists. ‘My goal is still a place in the top ten. And even though the gap in this tight field isn’t big, it’s incredibly difficult to close it.’
He wasn’t really in a party mood on Sunday. In the first race, he was on a roll and well on his way to a single-digit result when the race was stopped, ruining all his plans. ‘Unfortunately, the race was too short,’ was his sober analysis. ‘I was doing well and could have finished 9th or even 8th. But that’s just how it is.’
In the second race, Merckelbagh had an unexpected visitor at the end of the race in the form of his teammate Hannes Soomer. The Estonian had braked too late and reappeared behind the Dutchman. The overtaking manoeuvre went wrong and both ended up in the dirt. Merckelbagh managed to salvage 14th place at the finish line. ‘I didn’t see him,’ he explained, ‘the race could definitely have ended better.’
Werner Daemen could certainly have imagined a better result for last weekend. ‘Bálint, who is actually our third man in the team, did very well on Sunday,’ praised the Belgian. ‘Hannes and Leandro can certainly do better.’ His team also had to deliver top performance again at the Hockenheimring, but as always, everything ran like a well-oiled machine. ‘We want to continue,’ said Daemen, looking ahead to the coming year. The next few weeks will therefore continue with a lot of work behind the scenes.
Ricardo Brink continued in the Pro Superstock 1000 where he had been all year. At the front. After winning the title early at the Nürburgring, the Dutchman did not let up and put on another brilliant show at the finale at the Hockenheimring with two more victories. Race 1 with a comfortable lead of eleven seconds. ‘Of course I’m happy,’ he confirmed. ‘I am especially grateful to Werner Daemen for allowing me to ride in his team and thus show my potential. Ten wins in ten races is a dream. Now I’m looking ahead to 2026 and hope to be able to ride in the IDM Superbike again.’
Julius Ilmberger had his sights set on a possible podium finish in the first race, which would have been his first, when bad luck struck mercilessly. ‘A stone smashed my radiator and shortly afterwards I slipped on my own water and crashed.’ On Sunday, he still managed to finish seventh. ‘The start was very good, but after changing the triple clamp, I didn’t have such a great feeling for the front wheel anymore,’ said Ilmberger. ‘It was just different and I was more cautious. I needed a few laps to adapt. Then, unfortunately, the race was stopped. But that’s okay. It’s a shame, we could have achieved more that weekend, but overall I’m very satisfied.’
Ouri Bikkems took 15th and 16th place in the final. ‘I’m glad that the IDM season ended well,’ he said, summarising his weekend. ‘I was doing well in the second race. It was my first time here in Hockenheim. I was also doing well in Race 1, but then I spun and lost a lot of places. I would like to thank Werner Daemen and the whole team for everything. I am really very grateful to them.’
Results
IDM Superbike
IDM Superbike Superpole 2
1. Bálint Kovács (H/BMW) 1.25,596 min
2. Florian Alt (D/Honda) 1.25,463 min
3. Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW) 1.25,638 min
8. Leandro Mercado (RA/BMW) 1.26,268 min
14. Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW) 1.26,709 min
IDM Superbike Rennen 1
1. Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
2. Toni Finsterbusch (D/BMW)
3. Florian Alt (D/Honda)
4. Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
5. Bálint Kovács (H/BMW)
7. Leandro Mercado (RA/BMW)
10. Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
IDM Superbike Rennen 2
1. Florian Alt (D/Honda)
2. Toni Finsterbusch (D/BMW)
3. Bálint Kovács (H/BMW)
5. Leandro Mercado (RA/BMW)
13. Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
14. Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
Final Standings IDM Superbike 2025
1. 257,5 Points Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
2. 238,0 Points Florian Alt (D/Honda)
3. 177,5 Points Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
5. 167,5 Points Leandro Mercado (RA/BMW)
7. 121,5 Points Bálint Kovács (H/BMW)
11. 69,0 Points Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
Pro Superstock 1000
Final Standings Pro Superstock 1000
1. 250 Points Ricardo Brink (NL/BMW)
2. 142 Points Paul Fröde (D/Honda)
3. 135 Points Max Zachmann (D/BMW)
8. 70 Points Julius Ilmberger (D/BMW)
13. 37 Points Ouri Bikkems (B/BMW)
Gallery
Check out all of the race photos on the photos page
Photos by Damon Teerink
