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The International German Motorcycle Championship IDM entered the home straight of the 2024 season last weekend with a trip to the Eifel. At the sixth of seven events, the Champion-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team led by Belgian Werner Daemen was once again competing for the coveted championship points in the IDM Superbike. On the grid were Ilya Mikhalchik (Ukraine), Bálint Kovács (Hungary), Jan Mohr (Austria) and Philipp Steinmayr (Austria). Max Schmidt (Germany) had to continue his absence due to injury. The main topic of the first day was not so much racing, but rather the persistent fog and the wet track. With few meaningful laps, a 30-minute free practice session on Saturday lunchtime in the dry led to the first and final qualifying session in the evening. Ilya Mikhalchik had already completed a few practice laps at the Nürburgring before the IDM weekend in the Eifel to refresh his track knowledge. After all,…

Last weekend, the Champion-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team had only a short trip ahead of them. For the Belgian team led by team boss Werner Daemen, the trip took them to their Dutch neighbours. The TT Circuit in Assen was the venue for the fifth round of the International German Motorcycle Championship IDM. As always, Ilya Mikhalchik from Ukraine, Bálint Kovács from Hungary, Philipp Steinmayr and Jan Mohr from Austria were on the grid in the IDM Superbike. German Max Schmidt also travelled to the event, but only as mental support for his teammates. He himself is still suffering from the effects of a broken upper arm. Ilya Mikhalchik had travelled to Assen first in the standings after his double success at the last IDM event at the Schleizer Dreieck. The BMW rider’s goal was to extend his lead. In the rainy free practice on Friday, Mikhalchik proved with the best time that…

Last weekend, tens of thousands of fans lined the track around the Schleizer Dreieck in Thuringia, where racing still takes place partly on public roads and which represents an absolute challenge for man and machine in the calendar of the International German Motorcycle Championship IDM. As always, the Champion-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team led by Belgian Werner Daemen with its quartet of riders Ilya Mikhalchik (Ukraine), Philipp Steinmayr (Austria), Bálint Kovács (Hungary) and the recovering Jan Mohr (Austria) were at the start of the Superbike class. Max Schmidt, who was injured in a crash on the Grand Prix circuit in Barcelona, was unable to take part. Ilya Mikhalchik had travelled around the world before the first free practice session in Schleiz. Just a few days earlier, the Ukrainian had been racing for manufacturer BMW in the World Endurance Championship in Suzuka, Japan, where he and his colleagues had finished fifth. But there was…

The head of the Champion-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team, Werner Daemen, certainly had the longest journey to the third round of the International German Motorcycle Championship. The Belgian, who is also in charge of the Endurance World Championship team for manufacturer BMW, came straight from testing in Suzuka, Japan, to the IDM Superbike weekend in Most, Czech Republic. He was accompanied by his quartet of riders Ilya Mikhalchik (Ukraine), Philipp Steinmayr (Austria), Bálint Kovács (Hungary) and Max Schmidt (Germany). Jan Mohr (Austria) was only present as a mascot due to injury and will have to wait for his appearance on the track. Ilya Mikhalchik came to the Czech Republic with a broad chest. With Sachsenring and Oschersleben, where he even achieved a double victory, the BMW rider has already completed the two race tracks on the IDM calendar that rank lower on his personal hit list. In Most, the Ukrainian, who started…

The Champion-Alpha-Van Zon-BMW team was on tour again last weekend. At the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, they met up with the Superbike competition of the International German Motorcycle Championship IDM for the second round of the 2024 season. The successful team led by team boss Werner Daemen competed with three-time champion Ilya Mikhalchik from Ukraine, Austrian Philipp Steinmayr, German Max Schmidt and Hungarian Bálint Kovács. Jan Mohr was only there as a mascot this time. The Austrian had suffered an injury to his shoulder blade in the run-up to testing and had to sit out the points chase in Oschersleben. Ilya Mikhalchik had already warmed up a good week before the IDM event at a test on the Oschersleben circuit and was therefore well prepared for the IDM weekend. On Friday, he set the fastest times in the 28-strong field in the free practice sessions and the pre-practice for the Superpole.…

(German and Dutch text – scroll down) Champion-alpha-Van Zon-BMW: Exciting IDM season opener The long wait is over. The winter break of the International German Motorcycle Championship IDM lasted more than half a year. But last weekend, things got underway again and the riders kicked off the 2024 season at the Sachsenring. The team led by Belgian Werner Daemen is once again a permanent fixture in the Superbike class. Under the new name Champion-alpha-Van Zon-BMW, five riders will be competing for the crown in the highest German motorcycle racing classification: Ilya Mikhalchik (Ukraine), Philipp Steinmayr (Austria), Jan Mohr (Austria), Bálint Kovács (Hungary) and Max Schmidt (Germany). Ilya Mikhalchik has a clear goal in mind. He wants to win his fourth IDM Superbike title in 2024. After the team tests in Spain and his BMW entry in the Endurance World Championship, the Ukrainian completed a few laps at the Hockenheimring before…

For the last time of 2023, fans and riders of the International German Motorcycle Championship IDM went on the road last weekend. At the start in the Superbike class was the BCC-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team led by Werner Daemen and Andy Gerlich. The team and its five riders were at full strength for the finale at the Hockenheimring: Ilya Mikhalchik from Ukraine, Philipp Steinmayr from Austria, Max Schmidt from Germany, Bálint Kovács from Hungary and Kamil Krzemien from Poland. Ilya Mikhalchik had finished on the podium of the World Endurance Championship with his colleagues at the 24 Hours of Le Castellet the weekend before last and had to get used to his BMW in IDM trim again first at Hockenheim. “There is already a difference between the EWC BMW and the IDM version,” explains the three-time IDM champion and third in the current Endurance World Championship. “Apart from the name, the…

Summery conditions prevailed at the International German Motorcycle Championship IDM last weekend. The BCC-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team, led by Werner Daemen and Andy Gerlich, together with their riders Ilya Mikhalchik (Ukraine), Philipp Steinmayr (Austria), Max Schmidt (Germany), Bálint Kovács (Hungary), Kamil Krzemien (Poland) and wildcard rider Pepijn Bijsterbosch (Netherlands) made the journey to the TT Circuit of Assen in the Netherlands. The penultimate of the seven IDM weekends in 2023 took place there. Ilya Mikhalchik was absent at the last IDM race at the Red Bull Ring, as the Ukrainian was racing on behalf of BMW Motorrad at the World Endurance Championship in Suzuka, Japan, where he finished sixth together with his teammates, making them the most successful team from Europe. In Assen, Mikhalchik was back on familiar IDM terrain and showed what was what in both the free practice sessions on Friday and in qualifying. With a whopping lead of…

Last weekend things went a little differently for the BCC-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team than on the other race weekends in the International German Motorcycle Championship IDM. This is because team boss Werner Daemen and Superbike rider Ilya Mikhalchik were absent from the event at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Instead of the IDM, they went to Suzuka in Japan on behalf of BMW Motorsport Motorrad to fight for points in the World Endurance Championship. At the start in the IDM Superbike were Austrian Philipp Steinmayr, Pole Kamil Krzemien, Hungarian Bálint Kovács, German Max Schmidt and, with a wildcard, Austrian Jan Mohr. Philipp Steinmayr had been able to prepare for his home race in Styria better than for any other race this season. After the IDM race at the Schleizer Dreieck, he packed up his BMW and was able to do some test kilometres a week before the IDM race at…

Last weekend saw the BCC-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team of Werner Daemen and Andreas Gerlich reach the halfway point of the International German Motorcycle Championship IDM 2023. The journey had taken the Belgian-German team with its BMW riders Ilya Mikhalchik from Ukraine, Kamil Krzemien from Poland, Bálint Kovács from Hungary, Philipp Steinmayr from Austria and Max Schmidt from Germany to Thuringia to the Schleizer Dreieck. The races there are held on partly public roads and therefore posed special challenges for man and machine.   Ilya Mikhalchik again experienced the IDM in all its facets. After the first race, he went straight back to the pits with his visor down. Because the first race had had a few stumbling blocks in store for him at the Schleizer Dreieck. As pole sitter, with a top time close to the track record and an impressive performance in all the practice sessions, the BMW rider started…