Just a single point separates Julian Puffe from championship leader Ilya Mikhalchik in the Superbike standings. The Ukrainian is not only the defending champion but also his own teammate at alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW. This makes the rivalry between the current frontrunners in the championship even more intense. Ahead of the two championship races at the Nürburgring as part of this weekend’s Truck Grand Prix, we stopped by to visit Julian Puffe in his hometown of Schleiz.
What is life like off the racetrack for the 23-year-old automotive mechatronics technician, who doesn’t even have a motorcycle license for road use? Puffe lives modestly. His small 60-square-meter apartment on the ground floor of an apartment building consists of a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom with a window. The contents of the fridge are straightforward: grapes clearly outnumber everything else, along with a few bananas, strawberries, and melon. Butter sits on the top shelf. Next to it, a few slices of sausage and cheese are arranged together. What about meals from McDonald’s? “Nah, I’d rather go to Subway,” Puffe explains. But the big favorite on the menu is still pasta with salmon. Puffe is 185 cm tall and has a fighting weight of 73 kilograms.
What does he like about Schleiz? “Everything. The racetrack, and right next to the Buchhübel there’s even a cyclocross course. Schleiz is just a beautiful place overall. I don’t have to leave here.”
What about your job? “I’m a trained automotive mechatronics technician and work at the Ford dealership Hammerschmied—in Schleiz, of course. I handle both the vehicles and the marketing.” The dealership also has a motorcycle shop integrated into it, called Race-City. The boss? “Enrico Lauterbach is a great guy and a huge motorsports fan. He understands that I need to take time off when an IDM training session is scheduled.”
It’s Nürburgring time. The IDM Superbike 1000 series is racing as part of the Truck Grand Prix. “It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve been on the track. But I’m confident I’ll be able to handle it there with the new BMW 1000. I’m excited to see what kind of event this will be.”