All good things come in threes. Following Toni Finsterbusch and Lucy Glöckner, Julian Puffe has now also secured a Superbike rider spot on the new IDM team GERT56. Puffe’s future is thus guaranteed for the next two years. He’ll start on a part-time basis, but will return to full-time racing by 2022 at the latest.
When his time with Werner Daemen’s BMW team came to an end two years ago—despite finishing as runner-up—the local hero from Schleiz moved to the HRP Honda team. He finished the 2020 season in 13th place overall. Now the 20-year-old is returning to BMW, specifically to GERT56. This is the very team with which he celebrated the first-ever class victory for a German endurance racing team in the 2018 World Endurance Championship. GERT56 had won the 24 Hours of Le Castellet in the Superstock class.
Puffe has several guest appearances on his schedule for the upcoming IDM Superbike 1000 season. Behind the scenes, he serves as a test and development rider in the preparation of the new BMW M 1000 RR. If the need arises, the 1.85-meter-tall rider is on standby as a reserve rider for GERT56. However, this reserve role could also lead him to the Fifty73 Academy / Werk 2 by MCA team alongside Cristof Höfer and Leon Langstädtler, as this is the GERT56-supported partner team in the premier class. For the three wildcard appearances, regular rider Toni Finsterbusch is making his private bike available to Puffe.
Puffe is also receiving support from the Moto Racing School (MRS), where he will work as an instructor under Nicki Scharf and Andi Thümmler. Puffe’s job is to show track customers how to ride the Bavarian Superbike properly and to help them learn the skills.
GERT56 team manager Karsten Wolf didn’t rush into the decision to expand the team. “As is customary with us, I discussed Puffe’s appointment internally beforehand with Lucy, Toni, and the three crew chiefs, and listened to their opinions and perspectives. We’ll remain a team even after our time in endurance racing is over. Even before I could ask Toni Finsterbusch about providing the bike for Julian, he offered it on his own initiative. It’s a gesture off the track that gives me confidence in how the two friends will interact on the track.”
Julian Puffe is scheduled to return as a full-time race car driver in 2022.