25 May 2021
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Successful IDM season opener in Oschersleben

This weekend saw the long-awaited season opener of the International German motorcycle Championship in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. The EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW Team, led by Team Manager Werner Daemen, was also present again with new colours and a new rider line-up.
  
The SBK1000 class started the first race in rather wet conditions, as it had rained shortly before. However, it was already clear that the track would dry quickly after the rain stopped just in time for the grid formation. Mikhalchik lost four positions at the start of race one and finished the first lap in seventh place. Bijsterbosch was able to move up two positions to front and finished the first lap in ninth position. Eby also moved up one position to front. Mohr lost the most at the start of his first race. After lap one, he was only in 18th place.

Mikhalchik began his charge through the field, and by lap seven, he had worked his way back to his starting position, in third place. By lap ten, the Ukrainian had Max Moser (Team Bonovo Action by MGM Racing), Bastien Mackels (Team SWPN), and his teammate from last season, Vladimir Leonov (Team Hertrampf MO Yamaha Racing), ahead of him. Eight laps before the finish, Mikhalchik fell further and further back and eventually had to let Alessandro Polita (TEAM Holzhauer Racing Promotion), Dominic Schmitter (Team HESS Racing), and Julian Puffe (TEAM GERT56) pass him. He finished the first race in seventh place with nine championship points.

Bijsterbosch lost a total of three positions and finished in 14th place behind Florian Alt (TEAM Wilbers-BMW-Racing). Mohr and Eby rode a rather solitary race in positions 20 and 19. In the end, Eby had to concede to his teammate, even though he was able to defend his position well throughout the race, and let him take 19th place.

The second race started after renewed heavy downpours, with the reverse grid. Ilya Mikhalchik shot out from his fourth starting position and led the race into the first corner. After a brief change of positions with Alessandro Polita and Vladimir Leonov, the Ukrainian slipped back to third place, and after an overtaking manoeuvre by Florian Alt (TEAM Wilbers-BMW-Racing), to fourth position. But already in lap two, Mikhalchik fought his way back to second position, and in the third lap of the race, the 24-year-old passed Leonov and led the race confidently until the finish. With a best time of 1’26.790, the permanent rider of the EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW Team was unbeatable in the second race. Pepijn Bijsterbosch finished his second race in tenth position, thereby gaining four positions from his starting place of 14th. Jan Mohr and Tim Eby finished in 15th and 16th places.

The race took place behind closed doors due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, spectators could follow the races thanks to the very professional and extensive live stream of the event on Facebook or YouTube. The next round of the series will take place from 11th to 13th June in Most, Czech Republic.