The complicated foot fracture Toni Finsterbusch suffered before the start of the season has healed enough that the Saxon rider will be able to compete for points in the IDM Superbike 1000 class for the first time this year at the Nürburgring this coming weekend. His GERT56 teammate Julian Puffe already has 38 points to his name and is sixth overall in the IDM premier class.
Finsterbusch had repeatedly tried to make his debut earlier, but his recovery took priority. During a test run held recently at Hockenheim, the 28-year-old BMW M 1000 RR rider felt fit enough to make his IDM debut. “I’m finally in the mix. The cancellations of the races at the Lausitzring and the Sachsenring obviously worked in my favor, just like the long break since Most. That meant I didn’t lose quite as much ground. Now things are really heating up at the Nürburgring and the Schleizer Dreieck over two consecutive weekends. But I’m feeling optimistic. During the Hockenheim test, I had no pain or other issues with my foot.”
The two IDM Superbike 1000 races at the Nürburgring will be held as part of the FIA European Truck Championship. The races will start at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday.
GERT56 driver Julian Puffe has already competed in the two races at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben and the Autodrom Most. In the Magdeburger Börde, he finished fourth amid the chaotic weather conditions of the first race. The 25-year-old has high hopes for the Eifel. “When we made our debut at the Truck Grand Prix in 2019, I was able to win one of the two races—which, of course, I really enjoyed. And during the most recent tests, we were able to further develop and improve our BMW M 1000 RR. With Toni on board, hopefully we’ll be even faster now.”