IDM News: Racing dinner, tough World Championship lessons and problems in the BSB

The winter break hasn’t quite got underway yet. One former champion is still giving it a go on the island, another has come face to face with the harsh realities of the World Championship, and you’ll find the GERT56 team in the clubhouse.

Racing Dinner at Bilster Berg

During the summer months, you’ll usually find Marcel Schrötter, Julian Trummer, Toni Finsterbusch and Jan-Ole Jähnig in some paddock or other. Now you can pepper the riders with questions over dinner. “At our Riders Night, the four professional riders will talk about their lives between the kerbs of international circuits and the kerbs of the Isle of Man TT,” reads the invitation from Becker Tiemann Motorrad. “Look forward to personal stories, exclusive insights, the chance to ask the riders your questions, and a meet-and-greet in a special atmosphere. The evening will be hosted by sports presenter Lukas Gajewski.” The event kicks off on 7 November 2026 at 5 pm at the Clubhaus am Bilster Berg. Tickets are available for 59 euros, including dinner. There is space for 100 guests. Tickets can be purchased directly from the host.

Problems at the BSB in Donington

Whilst the Euro Moto season – now known once again as the IDM – has already come to an end, four-time IDM Superbike champion Ilya Mikhalchik continued his campaign in the British Superbike Championship (BSB). This time at Donington. “We didn’t reach our full potential this weekend,” was the sober assessment from the Ukrainian BMW rider. “We came here feeling positive after Assen, but unfortunately we struggled with a few technical issues during the practice sessions, which meant we couldn’t complete any laps in Race 1 or the warm-up. Identifying the problem and going into Race 2 without any data was a bit tricky, as it was hard to understand what we needed. A big thank you to the team for their brilliant work and for finding and fixing the problem in time for Race 2! In the sprint race, we were battling for a top-10 finish, and in the endurance race, the pace was there. We were fighting for 7th place right up until the red flag on the final lap and eventually finished in 9th place. It’s a bit frustrating, as I felt there might have been a bit more in it during the final laps. We’ll be back in action in two weeks’ time.”

No easy WorldSBK ride

Twan Smits is still busy with the final races of the World Superbike Championship. Last weekend, the Euro Moto rider got to know the circuit at Estoril in Portugal. “We’re testing and learning with every single lap, and I’m trying to get to grips with this bike,” says the Dutchman, describing his not exactly easy task. “I’m quite happy with what we tried out on Saturday, and I think we’ve found a few things we can build on for Sunday. We’ll keep working and keep fighting.”

Twan Smits

Foto: Smits/Facebook

On Sunday, the Yamaha rider finished 18th in the main race and 21st in the Superpole race. “The reality is that I’m struggling a lot,” he admitted, “more than I’d like. We’re still trying out lots of different things and haven’t found the right direction yet. Unfortunately, we took a step in the wrong direction for Race 2, which cost us. On top of that, I’ve made a lot of mistakes whilst trying out different things in my riding style to better understand the bike. That’s a hard lesson we’ll bear in mind for Jerez next weekend. Keep our heads up and carry on working.”

Endurance World Championship dates

Markus Reiterberger, a rider from the BMW World Championship-winning team, is joining us this year from the Euro Moto series, which is now known as the IDM again. Next year, the endurance title will once again be contested over four races.