Team GERT56 will see major changes to its rider lineup in 2023. Julian Puffe will be leaving the team, while Toni Finsterbusch will retain his spot. Joining the team and riding the BMW M 1000 RR are class rookies Jan-Ole Jähnig and Patrick Hobelsberger.
The team has put that unfortunate year—in which both Julian Puffe and Toni Finsterbusch suffered serious injuries—behind them. Both had secured podium finishes in the premier class prior to their crashes. Hopes of a return to racing this year were dashed following the doctors’ initial diagnoses. But the team is looking ahead.
“We have an exciting mix to offer in 2023,” says team boss Karsten Wolf, “with Jan-Ole Jähnig, a talent with unlimited potential; Toni Finsterbusch, who brings heavy-metal intensity and a relentless drive for the podium; and ‘Pax’ Hobelsberger, who embodies the ‘Move aside, I need to get through here’ mentality.” And Wolf reflects: “We didn’t have an easy apprenticeship year in 2021 when we entered the IDM Superbike series. Our journeyman year in 2022 brought our first good grades, but also many missed opportunities. In 2023, however, we should be applying for the master’s exam. There are seven dates on the calendar where we will—and must—show what we’re capable of.”
Julian Puffe is being released from his contract. Karsten Wolf commented: “The overall assessment of our collaboration over the past two years—and before that in the EWC—is extremely positive. We took him on from Honda in 2021 at the lowest point of his career, when he was ranked 13th overall. He became a regular rider and delivered respectable results. The year 2022 and the change in chassis components earned him four podium finishes and seventh place in the final standings. The crash during practice at Assen caused what had seemed like a certain third-place finish in the championship to slip away, and GERT56’s stated goal for the season also vanished into thin air.”
In addition, according to Wolf, “Toni Finsterbusch has achieved better race results in the joint races, and it doesn’t even seem like he’s fully tapped into the potential of the GERT56 BMW M 1000 RR. After consulting with chief engineers and chassis specialists, we are clearly unable to provide Julian with the technical package and setup needed to take a step forward and achieve better results than this year’s. This realization and the new goal of competing for the championship are not really compatible.” The powerful yet equally emotional team boss had actually intended to wait until the new year to comment on current developments, but he felt it was fair for everyone to know early on so they could reorient themselves. Puffe has proven himself to be an absolute team player and a consistently professional racer.
Jan-Ole Jähnig had been under consideration for some time as GERT56’s new third driver. Wolf has been following the 21-year-old from Altenburg’s career for the past two years and has had many conversations with him. “We consider Jan-Ole to be one of the greatest talents in German motorsports,” says the man from Pirna, Saxony, about the rising star from Thuringia.
“His rise through the junior ranks all the way to the IDM Supersport 600 was impressive. Over the past two years in the IDM Supersport, outstanding performances have alternated with setbacks and crashes. Serving as his own manager, team boss, mechanic, logistics coordinator, and all-around caretaker is not conducive to performance for a young racer. In the future, he’ll arrive at the GERT56 pit with his helmet and bag, switch into support mode, and have only one task there—racing.” Wolf expects the newcomer to finish regularly in the top 10.
Following his exit from the Supersport World Championship, Patrick Hobelsberger is switching not only classes but also brands. The Bavarian, the 2021 IDM Supersport champion, is set for a fresh start. As in recent years, he will conduct his own winter testing in Spain. “He is extremely focused and structured in the preparation and execution of his projects, and somewhat demanding in the process,” Wolf noted during negotiations, which immediately prompted him to say: “That’s not so bad; we’re just a bit demanding when it comes to delivering results.”