Things are moving more slowly than usual at Team GERT56. Superbike riders Toni Finsterbusch and Julian Puffe are still on sick leave. It takes time for their injuries to heal. “Not much is happening here before March,” says team boss Karsten Wolf, though he also reveals that three brand-new BMW M 1000 RRs are being prepared for the riders.
“I’m definitely planning on having Toni and Julian, but no one can say for sure right now exactly when they’ll be ready to race,” said Wolf, who isn’t going to put any pressure on anyone. Finsterbusch suffered a complicated pelvic fracture in his serious crash at the Schleizer Dreieck. The 29-year-old hasn’t needed crutches for a long time, but his broken hand requires more patience. Puffe broke his foot multiple times during free practice at the IDM round in Assen.
Their 2022-season motorcycles are being refurbished and are set to be sold. In 2023, three riders are scheduled to compete in the IDM Superbike series for the team based in Pirna, Saxony. Rico Löwe, who raced for GERT56 in the Pro Superstock class, has retired from racing. At the grand finale in Hockenheim, he made an impressive farewell with his strongest performance of the year. He finished on the podium.
Now that his career has come to an end, there’s an open spot in the GERT56 pit. “A third Superbike rider will fill that spot going forward. Every rider here has his own team. The former Pro Superstock crew will now be taking on a Superbike,” explains Karsten Wolf, grinning from ear to ear, “which means everyone involved will have a job again.”
Rumors about the third driver are running rampant. Jan-Ole Jähnig’s name keeps coming up, but nothing will definitely happen before 2023.