IBPM Round 5 in Oschersleben – it’s getting tight ahead of the final in Most

The penultimate round of the 2026 IBPM took place at the Motorsportarena Oschersleben. Just under two weeks after the spectacular event at the Schleizer Dreieck, the field gathered once again in the Börde region, and the races were set to be another entertaining affair. Conditions were excellent, with both the weather and the track at their very best.

Superbike Open

The Superbike Open class was bolstered by the return of two podium contenders, as Danijel Peric and Torsten Levsen were back in action for the first time since the Nürburgring. This promised excitement and a fierce battle for the trophies. First, however, all the Superbike riders had to pay tribute to high-flyer Norick Tschauder, who secured pole position with a lap time of 1:27.8 minutes. Danijel Peric was just under a tenth of a second behind him, ahead of championship leader André Krüger, who was already around a second off the pace of the top two. Tschauder applied pressure right from the start of the first race and gave Peric no real chance of victory. Although Peric kept up with the pace in the opening laps, he never got within striking distance and had to drop back in the second half of the race. André Krüger struggled for four laps to get past August Wernig. When he finally managed to do so on the fifth lap, the gap to Peric was too great to capitalise on his faltering performance. Fifth place went to Dennis Stankowski, who had been sidelined at Schleiz following his crash at the start in Hockenheim but had now returned to action.

In Race 2, the second spot on the grid remained vacant; Danijel Peric had paid a brief visit to the tyre barriers during the warm-up and did not start. Norick Tschauder once again demonstrated his class and drove a rather solitary race at the front. Behind them, Krüger and Wernig were once again locked in a battle. Once again, it took until the fifth lap before Krüger found a way past the Austrian and secured second place. Dennis Stankowski finished fourth this time, whilst Christian Brück crossed the line in fifth.

The championship is therefore looking tighter ahead of the final – André Krüger continues to lead with 254 points, but Norick Tschauder’s maximum points haul in the last four races has already catapulted him into second place ahead of August Wernig. Taking the discard into account, Krüger still holds a 38-point lead. It’s a comfortable cushion, but it doesn’t offer absolute certainty. In the final, it will come down to who has the stronger nerves and the cleverest tactics. Goosebumps are guaranteed.

Standings in the Superbike Open

1. #44 André Krüger/D 254 points

2. #848 Norick Tschauder/D 200 points

3. #67 August Wernig/A 194 points

Supersport Open

There was also a change at the top of the standings in the Supersport Open class. But first things first: Tim Holtz secured pole position with a time of 1:30.3, with his long-standing rival Nico Busch six tenths of a second behind in second place, whilst Denmark’s Martin Simonsen, in third, was already a full second off the pole time. In Race 1, Tim Holtz botched the start, allowing Nico Busch to lead for a lap. Holtz then got serious and took the lead, which he held until the race was stopped on the sixth lap. Although Nico Busch remained within sight, he couldn’t get close enough to Tim. Two seconds behind him, Martin Simonsen and Stefan Andersen battled for third place, with Andersen ultimately claiming the final podium spot. Billy Hilpert finished fifth.

Race 2 followed a similar pattern, with the difference that this time Tim Holtz got off to a good start. He led the way at the front, whilst behind him Martin Simonsen had to fend off Nico Busch. In the very last of the 13 laps, however, Busch overdid it and came to a rough halt in the parched Börde countryside. A memorable moment, as he himself admitted it was the first crash of his life on a race track. Stefan Andersen therefore took the points for third place, with Billy Hilpert and Martin Köhler finishing in fourth and fifth respectively.

In terms of the championship standings, the crash had serious consequences for Nico Busch – he dropped from the top of the table to third place. Both the new leader, Tim Holtz, and Martin Simonsen overtook him. The final at Most is therefore set to be extremely exciting in the Supersport Open class too. The gaps between the top three are incredibly tight; anything could still happen here.

Standings in the Supersport Open

1. #49 Tim Holtz/D 236 points

2. #12 Martin Simonsen/DK 219 points

3. #127 Nico Busch/D 212 points

Supersport Next Generation

The Supersport Next Generation class also took to the track in the same race. Just like last year, the man with start number 14 – Alan Kreimes – dominated the field. At Oschersleben, he was only beaten by one guest rider – former IDM rider Luca Haflinger. Haflinger was fastest in practice and remained so throughout the weekend. However, he played no part in the championship battle, so it was up to Alan to defend and extend his lead at the top of the standings. In the first race, this wasn’t an issue at all; the positions were established right from the start and didn’t change throughout the race. Alan Kreimes took the win, Tristan Brokat finished second and Manfred Klincksiek third. It’s worth noting, though, that Manfred Klincksiek in particular is really finding his stride. On Sunday, it was the rider with the #75 who raced through the field as Alan Kreimes’ closest challenger, leaving Tristan Brokat behind.

As you might expect, the Supersport Next Generation championship isn’t quite as close as the Supersport Open. However, it’s still wide open, and Alan Kreimes can’t afford to make any mistakes – otherwise it’ll get really tight.

Standings in Supersport NG

1. #14 Alan Kreimes/D 234 points

2. #75 Manfred Klincksiek/D 211 points

3. #790 Sebastian Dillner/D 153 points

BMW RR Cup

In the BMW RR Cup, Jenny Lehmann has been the surprise of the season, having secured four wins up to Oschersleben. Her toughest rival was, and remains, Maik Hornberger, who managed to reach the top of the standings for a short time thanks to his tenacity and consistency. Oschersleben was set to provide more clarity, and Jenny left no doubt that she was determined to win. She set the fastest time in practice to secure pole position, flanked by Michael Kaufhold and Michael Wimmer. Maik Hornberger qualified in fifth place.

In Race 1, apart from guest driver Julian Rösch, there was no one else who could keep up with Jenny Lehmann. She won from pole position, once again sending a strong signal about her championship ambitions. Michael Kaufhold, having seen his team-mate Mario Damm drop out due to technical problems, tried to keep up with her, giving it his all – and then a bit too much. He was forced to take a detour through the gravel trap and lost seven places. Second place went to the Danish whizz Erik Thomsen, ahead of Michael Wimmer.

In the Advanced class, Sebastian Lorch had already secured the top qualifying spot and, thanks to Kaufhold’s mistake, moved up from second to first place. Kaufhold still managed to finish second, followed by Christoph Meurer, who celebrated his first podium of the season. Fourth and fifth places went to Michael Buch and the Dane Jan Jorgensen.

Race 2 got off to a more dramatic start. Jenny Lehmann lost her nerve and incurred a false start penalty, which set her back 20 seconds. Riding in first position on the track, she rode her heart out to make up at least some of the time lost. In the end, her chase to make up the seconds was enough for fourth place overall behind Michael Kaufhold, who got everything right this time, Michael Wimmer in second and Maik Hornberger in third. Kaufhold consequently also won the Advanced classification, followed by Sebastian Lorch and Christopher Meurer, who finished third twice.

Jenny nevertheless regains the championship lead and can hope for overall victory in the BMW RR Cup. But even that is not yet certain. Maik Hornberger has a realistic chance, whilst Erik Thomsen has a theoretical chance, of still preventing her success. In the Advanced class, following his strong results in recent races, Sebastian Lorch leads on equal points with Michael Kaufhold, ahead of Jenny Lehmann in third place, whose points tally in the Advanced class is still sufficient, even though she has not scored any points in this classification for the last four races.

BMW RR Cup standings (overall)

1. #92 Jennifer Lehmann/D 212 points

2. #95 Maik Hornberger/D 205 points

3. #77 Erik Thomsen/DK 158 points

BMW RR Cup (Advanced classification)

1. #150 Sebastian Lorch/D 169 points

2. #773 Michael Kaufhold/D 169 points

3. #92 Jennifer Lehmann/D 129 points

Once again, it was Patricia Kok who failed to score any points in the Ladies Challenge. Her team-mate and husband, Ashwin van der Flier, had been injured in a crash, and Patricia chose to stay with him in hospital. As a result, the remaining ladies settled the matter amongst themselves, finishing as follows in both races: 1. Jenny Lehmann (BMW RR Cup), 2. Diana Weber (SSPopen), 3. Brigitte Malo (SSP NG).

“Our highlight was the rescue operation for August Wernig,” said the organiser, looking back. “He’d crashed, his motorbike was largely bent out of shape and he was effectively out of the race. He’s getting the parts he needs to get his bike back on the track from the competition, mainly from TTSL. That’s the IBPM for you – it makes us extremely proud. Rivals on the track, friends in the paddock. That’s also why the IBPM final, taking place from 4 to 6 September at the Autodrom Most, is set to be incredibly exciting across all classes and categories. It’s a blessing for the championship that not a single title has been decided yet. And who knows, perhaps there’ll be one or two surprise winners. We’re really looking forward to it.”