IDM News: WorldSBK farewell, praise from the boss and a celebrity spotter in Misano

The young riders were out on tour one last time. And the new technical director of the 2027 IDM is writing his final chapter in the World Championship.

Goodbye WorldSBK, hello IDM

From now on, Michael Galinski can devote himself entirely to his new role as technical director for the relaunch of the International German Championship (IDM). Following the Superbike World Championship finale in Jerez, Team MGM closed its racing operation after six years in the World Championship.

“During the final race weekend, we watched it all unfold with a touch of wistfulness, but nevertheless we had fun once again with Loris Baz. We’re happy that the season is over. All in all, I’d like to thank everyone who made this all possible. It’s been six wonderful years here in World Superbike. We’ve shown that it’s possible to make the leap from the IDM to the World Championship. Anyone can do it. Of course, it involves a lot of hard work and, unfortunately, a lot of money too, but I’d still like to thank everyone. I’m looking ahead. When one door closes, another opens. I’m now focusing on my new job in the IDM and will also be out and about as an ambassador and supporter for PVM. You’ll be seeing us back in the workshop more often now. We’re really looking ahead and will continue to offer our tuning programme, as well as engine reconditioning, etc. We’ll be concentrating on these three areas. We’re closing the chapter on World Superbike. Many thanks to everyone, including all the fans who kept their fingers crossed for us. We’re sure to see each other again sometime, somewhere.”

Jochen Kiefer (li.) lobt Robin Siegert

Foto: Thorsten Horn

Praise from Jochen Kiefer for Robin Siegert

In Italy, the season came to an end for Robin Siegert, this year’s Moto4 Northern Cup winner. Jochen Kiefer of the racing team of the same name – who has produced world champions, with Stefan Bradl in Moto2 in 2011 and Danny Kent in Moto3 in 2015 – also drew a positive conclusion at the end: “There’s not much to say about the Moto4 Northern Cup. It couldn’t have gone any better. Nobody expected such a dominant run. It was simply brilliant. But in my opinion, Robin also performed very well in the Moto4 European Cup. Particularly on circuits he’d never ridden before, he showed that he can learn them in no time at all and was setting competitive lap times relatively quickly – the sort of times where things really start to get fast. The fact that he didn’t feature in a main race – even though he’d qualified for one in France and was eliminated from two Last-Chance races whilst in promising positions – I don’t see as a major setback. I’m sure that if he goes through this programme again next year – by which time he’ll already be familiar with most of the circuits and will be on a whole new level himself – we’ll be in the main races at every round and right up there with the best, so that he can finish in the points. From my perspective, I view Robin’s development very positively and hope that he’ll also do well in the Red Bull Rookies Cup. That’ll be another good year of learning.”

ADAC Junior Cup Sieger trifft WM-Pilot

Foto: Jaden Immanuel

New experiences at Misano

For ADAC Junior Cup winner Jaden Immanuel, this marked his first appearance on the international stage in his still-young career. “My first race in the Moto4 European Championship at Misano,” said the Indian rider from Team F.Koch Rennsport. “Following my successful ADAC championship season, I was looking forward to taking on this new challenge. Although I didn’t qualify for the race, it was a valuable experience and a big step forward on my journey. It gives us the clarity we need for 2027. It was a great learning experience to compete against the riders in the European Talent Cup, and I met up with some of my former coaches and friends. Now it’s time to work hard over the winter on my fitness, my skills and my racing ability. I’ll come back stronger.” In between, there was also time for a bit of shop-talk with World Championship rider Francesco Bagnaia.