After two retirements in Schleiz, Toni Finsterbusch is breathing a sigh of relief. In Most, Czech Republic, the 26-year-old finished seventh twice in the IDM Superbike 1000 last weekend. And he remains the top Suzuki rider in the premier class. The Leipzig native, riding for Team Mayer Suzuki, is eighth in the overall championship. Yet his participation in the neighboring country was seriously in jeopardy.
The drive to Finsterbusch was just a stone’s throw away. “Through Chemnitz into the Ore Mountains, and then the racetrack is right there. But the last time I raced there was in 2007. Back then, I was still in the ADAC Junior Cup.”
Finsterbusch started the race from eighth on the grid. It had rained during qualifying. Race Sunday, however, was under a better star, and the sun came out again. Thanks to his infamous lightning-fast starts, he immediately made up a few meters. Finishing seventh was now a solid result after the disappointment at Schleiz. It wasn’t until later that it came to light that Finsterbusch had almost had to stay home. “He’d come down with food poisoning a few days earlier,” reported team manager Thomas Mayer. “It wasn’t clear whether Toni would actually race, but the rainy practice sessions allowed him to conserve his energy a bit.” It wasn’t until late Saturday into Sunday that Finsterbusch started feeling noticeably better.