At first, he couldn't even find the entrance to the Sachsenring because he'd never been there before. And then he also had to reposition the pit board because, unlike most tracks in the world, the race here runs counterclockwise, so the mount has to be on the other side. But now GERT56 team boss Karsten Wolf is sitting back, relaxed. Everything's going smoothly.
Saturday afternoon—the final qualifying session in Germany’s top motorcycle class has just ended—when he sees on the monitor: Patrick “Pax” Hobelsberger is fifth on the BMW M 1000 RR, regular rider Toni Finsterbusch is seventh, and “rookie” Jan-Ole Jähnig has landed in 12th place. Everything is looking good. Finsterbusch knows the Sachsenring like the back of his hand. As a local, he’s raced everything here that you need to make it big. “And Hobelsberger is so passionate about the sport that sometimes you almost have to grab the fire extinguisher,” Wolf says of his 
new Bavarian addition.
Wolf has taken a lot of flak from all sides in recent months for not re-signing Julian Puffe, but the team manager had to take action. Look ahead, invest in the future. You can feel a new sense of motivation. This breath of fresh air has freed up resources. The goals remain the same. “Podium finishes as individual results and a podium finish in the overall standings,” Wolf says succinctly. The 
This applies to both Hobelsberger and Finsterbusch. Wolf knows, however, that the true balance of power isn't yet reflected at the Sachsenring.
There is open communication among the crew chiefs within the team. They don’t withhold any data from one another. “Jan-Ole has made the biggest strides over the past two days,” says Wolf. The young rider has just moved up from the IDM Supersport . Wolf is proud of his team, which is well-prepared. The new trio has gelled—and faster than expected. The race engines have also been installed in the BMWs for the past two weeks. And there are no lingering issues from last year. “During preseason preparations, Toni said he didn’t need another crash like the one at the Schleizer Dreieck last year, but then he hopped on the bike during the tests in Croatia as if nothing had ever happened and left Patrick Hobelsberger in the dust.”
The first IDM Superbike race will take place on May 14 at 10:45 a.m. The second race will follow at 3:25 p.m. If you can't be there in person, you can watch it at www.idm.de/live.