Lots of fog, no visibility and constantly changing schedules as a result. But the weather drama in the Eifel could not slow down the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) on its comeback at the Nürburgring. On two days, all classes spent hours in the fog and several training sessions were canceled. But when the veil lifted and even the sun made its way through the clouds, there was no stopping the drivers in the predicate and cup classes. It was all about the final spurt before the finale in Hockenheim in three weeks' time. In the top class IDM Superbike, Ilya Mikhalchik on a BMW took the title early.

The Superbikes took to the track on Sunday in glorious conditions at the foot of the Nürburg. Was it going to be a dream day for 28-year-old BMW rider Ilya Mikhalchik to win the title early? His only remaining rival was defending Honda champion Florian Alt. However, after his disastrous crash two weeks ago in Assen, in which he suffered deep lacerations to his right hand, he had little hope of winning. But he was not going to give up without a fight. Only on the starting grid did he admit: “I'm in a lot of pain, but I'll give it a go.” Mikhalchik won the race after a fierce battle with his Estonian BMW colleague Hannes Soomer. Third place went to Toni Finsterbusch (BMW). On the podium were a Ukrainian, an Estonian and a German. Alt finished a brilliant fifth despite his damaged hand.

In the second race, Mikhalchik had to finish in the top 13. The title was almost handed to him on a silver platter. All he had to do was grab it. After 18 laps over 3.618 kilometers, it was finally clear: The 28-year-old Ukrainian is IDM champion in the top class ahead of schedule and for the fourth time. Mikhalchik's partner Milana, mother Ludmilla, his aunt and even his grandmother had come to the Nürburgring to celebrate their personal superstar, who returned to the paddock for the award ceremony after his great triumph with the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine. He would have loved to crown his success with another victory, but this was snatched by Hannes Soomer. The Estonian entered the history books of the IDM Superbike as the new winner. An unleashed Lorenzo Zanetti, who caught his opponents one-two, finished third. The Italian slipped past Finsterbusch on his Ducati in the final laps and thus prevented BMW from taking all the positions, as in the first race. Florian Alt crossed the finish line in fifth place and had hellish pain in his hand. But that's Florian Alt: giving up is not an option.

Twan Smits (Yamaha) won both races in the IDM Supersport. It is too late for the title fight, but the current runner-up showed that the competition must always reckon with him despite his mixed season. Dirk Geiger took two second places on his Honda, the best weekend result for the manufacturer to date. And “Lucky Luc” Luca Göttlicher had sprinted onto the podium in third place after the first race from eleventh on the grid.
Championship leader Andreas Kofler (Yamaha) did not get a chance in the Eifel. He missed the start in the second race. This was unusual, as the Austrian is actually known for his lightning starts. The fact that Smits and Geiger were ahead of him didn't bother him much in terms of the overall standings, as neither of them play a role in the title fight. Kofler just had to make sure that his direct rival Luca de Vleeschauwer (Triumph) stayed behind him. And that was the case. Third place this time went to Daniel Blin (Ducati), but that was pure damage limitation. The Pole had crashed in the first race. The airbag in his leather suit deployed. Blin was able to leave the run-off zone physically unharmed. Statistically, however, the incident finally knocked him out of the title fight and Lennox Lehmann (Yamaha) also overtook him in the overall standings and is now third overall.

The Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing team-mates had a thrilling battle in the Supersport 300 at the Nürburgring. In the first race, Phillip Tonn continued his winning streak with a third triumph, which he had previously started with a double victory in Assen. The German seemed to have finally made his breakthrough, leaving Ruben Bijman and Oliver Svendsen in second and third place. However, Svendsen subsequently lost his podium place to Dutchman Dylan Czarkowski (Yamaha) due to a penalty and therefore finished fourth. In the second race, the Dane promptly responded to this setback and secured victory ahead of Bijman and Tonn. With this success, Svendsen extended his lead in the championship and heads to the final two races with a comfortable 30-point advantage.