Fifteen years ago, when there was screaming and clucking coming from a chicken coop in Feldkirchen, Austria, it was because a 3-year-old boy with blond curls was learning to ride a motorcycle. Back then, Leo Rammerstorfer used to drive the chickens wild on a pit bike; “unfortunately, a few of them didn’t make it,” recalls the 18-year-old.
The barn has long since been retired, and Rammerstorfer no longer chases chickens—instead, he’s chasing down his rivals in the IDM Supersport . As a regular rider for Team Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing, he currently leads the standings by one point over his rival Marvin Siebdrath (Füsport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki).
Leo Rammerstorfer will have home-track advantage this coming IDM weekend, from September 2–4. The Feldkirchen native lives just an hour and a half away from the Red Bull Ring and knows the track well. Last year, he won the KTM Austrian Junior Cup here and, on the very same day, finished third in the IDM Supersport , earning a spot on the podium.
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The KTM rider got his first taste of the racetrack early on. Back then, his father would regularly take him to the track as a hobby racer, and from his Austrian racing colleague and friend Lukas Trautmann, “I learned every crazy stunt you can do on a motorcycle. That’s probably where I got the spirit,” he jokes with the broad grin he’s known for in the paddock. He’s a cheerful soul. Whenever you run into him on a motorcycle, scooter, bicycle, or e-scooter, Leo Rammerstorfer is always smiling.
Whether he’ll have every reason to celebrate at the next IDM weekend at the Red Bull Ring remains to be seen on Saturday and Sunday. The soon-to-be high school graduate prepares physically for the races throughout the season with plenty of motocross training, cycling, and workouts at the gym, as well as a healthy and balanced diet. Fresh eggs are a big part of his diet. “Because the chicken coop is still there,” he says with a laugh, noting that the 18 hens currently serve as his direct source of protein, and adds: “But they’re being looked after now!”