The legendary 24-hour Bol d’Or race in Le Castellet (FRA) kicked off the 2018/19 season of the World Endurance Championship this past weekend. Also on the starting grid for Team GEERT56 by rs speedbikes: IDM Superbike riders Julian Puffe and Stefan Kerschbaumer. They competed in the Superstock 1000 class alongside former IDM rider Filip Altendorfer. Everything went like clockwork for the guys and the BMW S 1000 RR . As the leading Superstock team, they are in sixth place in the overall standings across all classes, behind five Superbike teams. Julian Puffe had the honor of riding both the start and the finish.
Stefan Kerschbaumer had the feeling during the night that the engine on the BMW was making strange noises. “That seems to be a common issue for drivers in endurance racing. But everything worked perfectly from start to finish, and luck was on our side, too.” The Austrian is already looking forward to April 2019, when the next race is scheduled to take place at Le Mans. And the victory also lays a solid foundation for the IDM finale from September 28 to 30, 2018, in Hockenheim.
Filip Altendorfer had actually planned never to race the Bol d’Or again. “When I had my titanium hip replaced a few years ago, I said I wouldn’t race in any more 24-hour races. But in Oschersleben, I had a crash with the team shortly before the end of the race—I was determined to make up for that. Now I’ve stepped in for the injured Lucy Glöckner, and I’m speechless that we made it all the way to the top of the podium.”