IDM Nürburgring: One title and four trophies

September 8, 2025

IDM Nurburgring saturday 06-09-2025 photo Damon Teerink-1502

The penultimate round of the 2025 International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) took place at the Nürburgring last weekend, and the Eifel region provided unusually abundant sunshine. Werner Daemen, head of the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team, was back at the start with a full team. Hannes Soomer (Estonia), Leandro Mercado (Argentina), Bálint Kovács (Hungary) and Milan Merckelbagh (Netherlands) competed in the top Superbike class. Ricardo Brink (Netherlands), Julius Ilmberger (Germany) and Ouri Bikkem (Belgium) took on the Pro Superstock 1000.

Hannes Soomer had used the break since the Assen trip to recover from his injury to his right hand. His top times in practice showed that he had made a full recovery. ‘With the extra day of testing, it was a slightly different IDM weekend,’ he said before the start. “I will fight for victory until the last race. Last year went well for us at the Nürburgring.”

Things also went well for the Estonian in practice. He was among the frontrunners in every session and was one of only two riders to lap in the 1:23s. The Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW rider started the races from second on the grid. And on Sunday, the Estonian was wide awake again, finishing in second and third place. ‘We had a good race,’ he said after the race. “I had a good start. I may have gone a little wide on two corners, but the race was almost perfect. We were fast, a second faster than last year. But not fast enough. There is still one rider ahead of me who shows us every weekend that he is one step ahead. Congratulations to him. We’ll try again.‘

Lukas Tulovic took the win in the second race again. Meanwhile, Soomer had to deal with Florian Alt, whom he was only able to keep at bay with a courageous manoeuvre. ’The plan was to finish second,” Soomer clarified after finishing third. “Due to the higher temperatures, we had made a few adjustments to the bike, but unfortunately we took the wrong approach. I already knew during the warm-up lap that I would have problems in this race. I am a little disappointed. But the battle with Florian was nice, I will watch the manoeuvre again on YouTube. I was able to finish on the podium in both races today. After the heavy crash in Oschersleben, I’m back. It was a tough time, so I’m happy again today.‘

Leandro “Tati” Mercado travelled to the Eifel from his adopted home of Italy. ’Everything is fine with me,‘ he reported. ’My feeling for the bike has definitely improved and I want to continue on this path. I want to close the gap to the front and catch Lukas Tulovic. We are continuing to work hard, and I am still chasing a win this season. We have to get the most out of it and score as many points as possible in the championship on Sunday.” Starting from fifth on the grid, the Team Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW rider secured a place on the second row in a very tight field.

On Sunday, the sun shone over the Nürburgring and Mercado followed suit. The Argentine finished third and second in the two races. ‘We were close together,’ he said after the first race, referring to the battles in the chasing group. ‘The pace was really intense. We were doing 1:24 lap times on almost every lap. I’m happy with how I felt. Of course, I tried to close the gap to Hannes in front of me. In the last three laps, the grip dropped off a little, especially in the right-hand corners. But I’m happy.’

He had the same feeling after finishing second in Race 2. ‘I mean,’ he said, “we were strong all weekend. After Race 1, we made some small changes that helped me, especially at the start of the race. I’m really happy with the pace. Unfortunately, it looks impossible to fight for the win at the moment. But we’re giving it our all, and I’d like to thank everyone on the team for their hard work. I hope we’ll be closer in Hockenheim.”

Bálint Kovács wanted to continue his upward trend of recent weeks at the Nürburgring. Before he could celebrate his fourth place in the final practice session in a successful Superpole 2, the Hungarian rider from the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team had already received his first nice surprise: “At the Bol d’Or 2025, the final round of the World Endurance Championship, I will be joining the multiple Stock race winner Champion Tecmas Racing Team. I would like to thank MRP for their trust and I am really looking forward to the race.”

But first, Kovács had the two IDM Superbike races on his agenda on Sunday, having held his own among the top riders in all practice sessions in a tightly packed field. On Sunday, the Hungarian was once again in contention for a podium finish and was able to keep up well with the pace set by the top riders. Although he didn’t win a trophy with his 6th and 5th place finishes, he did move up one place in the overall standings shortly before the final. ‘All in all, it was a really good weekend,’ he said after the work was done. “For the first time this year, I had a decent qualifying session, finishing 4th. The races also went really well, I had some great battles with my teammates as well as Florian Alt and Toni Finsterbusch.‘

’Unfortunately, I lost my fourth place in the first race due to a high-speed collision with Toni,‘ said Kovács. ’I had to ride motocross at 200 km/h, so sixth place wasn’t too bad. The second race was also very good, and I’m happy with the result. If I can improve my tyre management a little, I’ll really be able to make it into the top spots. Many thanks to the team; we were able to improve continuously throughout the weekend.”

Milan Merckelbagh drove to the Nürburgring with a good dose of anticipation. ‘It’s not far from my home,’ revealed the Dutchman. ‘A few friends and guests are coming to cheer me on. I’ll try to be faster than I was at the last IDM weekend. I’m currently tenth in the overall standings. I’d like to climb a little higher. Let’s see how it goes.’ However, the young rider struggled in practice. For the first time this season, he failed to qualify for Superpole 2. ‘Now I have to start the races from 17th place,’ he said soberly. ‘Let’s see what I can achieve in this really strong field.’

The Dutchman was able to breathe a sigh of relief after a hard-fought eleventh place in the second race. He also finished Race 1 in the points in 14th place. Nevertheless, Merckelbagh was not satisfied with the result. ‘I wasn’t very happy with Race 1,’ he admitted afterwards. “I had the potential to finish in the top ten. Race 2 went better and ended with a really close battle. I’m happy with how the weekend ended. But it’s clear that I need to improve for the final in Hockenheim. Because my goal of finishing in the top ten hasn’t changed.”

Ricardo Brink arrived at the Nürburgring as the leader of the Pro Superstock 1000, with a clear plan in his luggage: to win the title early. The Dutchman took pole position with a clear best time and a 0.7-second lead. On Saturday afternoon, he converted his match point and secured the championship crown ahead of schedule after a flawless ride and a victory in Race 1. On Sunday, he added another victory to his tally. ‘It was fantastic,’ said Brink, describing his feelings. ‘I’m totally happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this strong in my career. I’d like to say a big thank you to Werner Daemen and the whole team. I enjoyed every second and am now focusing on the last races.’

Julius Ilmberger was impressed by the opportunity to test on Thursday and prepare for the race weekend. ‘I’m looking forward to it, it’s sure to be great,’ he said beforehand. Starting from 7th on the grid, the BMW driver started from the second row. ‘The weather was better than expected and the weekend was very successful,’ was Ilmberger’s summary after finishing in 7th and 8th place. “I personally made good progress. In qualifying, I was 1.5 seconds faster than my best time from last year. The race pace was a second or more faster than last year. For me, the Nürburgring is a very difficult track, so I am very happy with my results.”

Ouri Bikkem had focused on a good performance at the Nürburgring after two exciting race weekends. Starting from 15th on the grid, he finished 13th and 11th in the two Pro Superstock 1000 races. ‘Yes, finally a good weekend,’ was his analysis. ‘We worked our way up slowly. And the result paid off in Race 2. We are looking forward to the final race at Hockenheim.’

In three weeks, the 2025 season will already have reached its final race of the year. The finale will take place from 26 to 28 September at the Hockenheimring.

IDM Superbike

Starting grid

1. Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati) 1.23,856 min
2. Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW) 1.23, 987 min
3. Jan-Ol Jähnig (D/BMW) 1.24,037 min
4. Bálint Kovács (H/BMW) 1.24,081 min
5. Leandro Mercado (RA/BMW) 1.24,108 min
17. Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW) 1.25,480 min

Race 1

1. Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
2. Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
3. Leandro Mercado (RA/BMW)
6. Bálint Kovács (H/BMW)
14. Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)

Race 2

1. Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
2. Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
3. Leandro Mercado (RA/BMW)
5. Bálint Kovács (H/BMW)
11. Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)

Overall standing after 12 out of 14 races

1. 236 Punkte Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
2. 195 Punkte Florian Alt (D/Honda)
3. 168 Punkte Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
4. 152 Punkte Leandro Mercado (RA/BMW)
7. 100 Punkte Bálint Kovács (H/BMW)
11. 63 Punkte Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)