Milan Merckelbagh: SBK-BMW statistics SSP-Yamaha / IDM Superbike

IDM will remain loyal to Milan Merckelbagh this year. However, the 23-year-old from Limburg will switch to the Superbike class within the championship and will ride there wearing the colors of his In den Hof Racing team. He is supported in terms of material by the Champion-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team.

Limburger had also thought about another year in IDM Supersport. But pushing the Yamaha R6 to the level of the new next-generation regulations proved to be a challenge and not exactly cheap. In addition, Denis Hertrampf will no longer rely on Yamaha this season, but will instead send his super sports boys Kevin Wahr and Luca Göttlicher to race with the manufacturer Triumph.

During the winter test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Spain, IDM team boss Werner Daemen volunteered to do a test on the BMW M 1000 RR from his Champion Alpha Van Zon BMW team, colleagues from racesport.nl currently report. Both parties were enthusiastic after the test, so that the cooperation for the next season of IDM is now established. Merckelbagh will therefore move to the IDM Superbike class in 2024 and will compete there in the colors of In den Hof Racing, a team that will operate as a satellite team of the Champion-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team.

“I am grateful for this opportunity that Werner is giving me,” Merckelbagh tells racesport.nl, and I hope that I can continue to develop at a high level under the wing of this experienced team owner. It’s a big change for a superbike, but we’ve worked hard to prepare well and I’m getting more and more confident with the BMW M1000RR. Beside me I have two classmates from Zuyd University, Luca and Glenn, who will take care of the technical side during the race. My mechanic and I are very motivated to take on this new challenge. I can also look forward to a good and successful time at Yamaha and I would like to thank you for your support in the last six years of racing.