He may not be at the front of the pack, but Thomas “Thommy” Hainthaler is a fixture in the IDM Superbike 1000. Independent riders like the Munich native form the backbone of the series.
This year, he can only afford to compete in two events in the premier class and will otherwise switch to the Pro Superstock Cup. But the Bavarian can’t do without Superbikes entirely. Hainthaler will be on the starting grid at the season opener, currently taking place in Oschersleben, riding a Yamaha YZF-R1M. His next race will be at the Red Bull Ring.
Hainthaler is thrilled that the racing season has begun. Speaking of the event at the Red Bull Ring, scheduled for late August, he adds: “I feel right at home there because the people speak the same way I do. Plus, I can get there in three hours.”
Hainthaler has ridden BMWs for nearly half his racing career. Now he’s switched to Yamaha. “I wanted a bike like Jonas Folger’s,” says the 31-year-old. “So I went to his team manager, Michael Galinski, and ordered one. I brought him a few parts—the frame, the swingarm, the tank. Everything else came from him. The electronics, the geometry—everything is identical to the Yamaha on which Jonas won the championship last year.” Hainthaler has gotten over the fact that he had to sell his BMW to make this happen. “I was a full second faster right off the bat during my first practice session with the Yamaha at the Red Bull Ring.” There’s a sticker on the blue tank that reads “94.” That’s Jonas Folger’s race number. “Because so much of his bike is in here,” Hainthaler nods and adds mischievously, “Besides, it always reminds me that the equipment can’t possibly be to blame if I have a bad result in the race.”