It wasn’t that long ago that Patrick “Pax” Hobelsberger sat on a Superbike for the first time. How did he feel, and what was going through his mind at that moment? We asked the 2021 German Supersport Champion andSupersport, who will also be competing in his first race in the premier class at the Sachsenring in a week and a half.
“I thought, ‘Here comes something huge,’ and sure enough, it was huge—even bigger than I’d imagined,” says Hobelsberger of Team GERT56’s BMW M 1000 RR. “The bike really stretched my arms out while riding, and I thought, ‘I’ll never be able to handle this.’ I never would have thought there was that much power in it. I knew GERT56 would put together a great bike, but it almost blew me away at first. You really have to engage all your senses to master the Superbike.” That’s how the 26-year-old Bavarian began his journey into Germany’s motorcycle racing class. “I was thrown in at the deep end,” he says, looking back on his decision. Not for long. The dust had settled after three days. The extremely structured and goal-oriented Hobelsberger and the M 1000 RR quickly became fast friends. Wild beast or tame kitten? “The BMW is perfectly balanced now and is currently perfect for me.”
Hobelsberger is ready for the season opener at the Sachsenring from May 12–14, 2023. He has now had five consecutive days of training: first three days at the Slovakiaring, followed by two days at the Sachsenring, where the first Superbike race of his life awaits him. At the Slovakiaring, the trained carpenter made significant progress once again. “We’ve uncovered a lot more data in the details that can make me even faster.” And speaking of the Sachsenring: The Grand Prix circuit is one of “Pax’s” top five favorite destinations ever!