Hannes Soomer, the 25-year-old Estonian from the Supersport World Championship, is now competing in the IDM Superbike series. He’s a name to watch. Although a Superbike rookie, Soomer—riding the Honda CBR 1000 RR-R—is already among the title favorites. www.idm.de took a closer look behind the scenes at “Baltic Bullet,” who has finished on the podium four times in the four races held so far for Team Enemat Enos Motorsport.
First, could you please explain your rather unusual nickname?
I think someone on the team first said it in either 2017 or 2018, and it just stuck.
What attracted you to the IDM?
At the end of last year, there was no option for me in the World Supersport —or the World Superbike Championship—in which I wanted to invest my time and my sponsors’ money. For me and the people who 
Given our close ties, it was clear that if we continued racing, we would do so in our own way. And in my opinion, the IDM is the strongest racing series in Europe and will help us prepare as best as possible for the next step.
Did you think you'd be among the favorites to win the title right from the start?
I believe my driving skills are good enough to compete for the top spots. I was a little worried about 
the tracks I haven’t raced on in a long time, and because of the combination of the new motorcycle, the new team, and the new format of the weekend. Another factor is developing a motorcycle that can compete against teams that have a lot of experience on these tracks and in this championship. I’m not a better rider than I was last year, but I have some very good people with me who have done an outstanding job over the past four months 
They did a great job and gave me a motorcycle that lets me compete with the top riders in the championship.
Florian Alt and Ilya Mikhalchik will miss the race at the Red Bull Ring due to a scheduling conflict with the World Endurance Championship in Suzuka. Is this your chance?
I think my chance lies in trying to beat them both in all the other races. The goal this year isn’t to win the championship, because my rivals are sitting out one round. The goal is to develop myself, the bike, and the team so that I’m better than everyone else in the championship. If that work leads to me scoring the most points, I’ll be satisfied. The bigger opportunity at the Red Bull Ring is to go head-to-head with Loris Baz and Garrett Gerloff.
How important is motorsports in Estonia?
a) Historically speaking, motorcycle racing has been one of the biggest sports in Estonia. During the Soviet era, the best riders and engineers came from Estonia, and a race in Tallinn at the Pirita-Kose-Kloostrimetsa circuit drew more than 100,000 spectators. In recent years, we’ve had Ott Tänak as a WRC world champion. I think that in every country, people pay attention to the sports in which their athletes are successful, and I’d like to draw that attention back to motorcycle racing.
What got you into motorcycle racing?
I got my first motorcycle (a Yamaha PW50) when I was 4 years old. If I said I remembered why I wanted to ride it, I’d be lying. I just used to ride around in the field behind our house, and in 2006 we went to Faßberg, Germany, to try out a minibike for the first time. There we met Jan Stecher, who took me to my first race in the ADAC Minibike Cup and then in the ADAC Junior Cup.
What are your shortest and longest trips?
This year, the shortest trip is the one I take every morning from my house to the workshop. Of the IDM races, the Sachsenring was the closest, and either Assen, Hockenheim, or Spielberg was the farthest. But that’s nothing compared to the 26-hour flight I took last year to get to the race in Argentina.
Did you keep your World Championship crew, or did the team have to recruit new staff?
Some of the guys on the team have been competing in the WSS for a few seasons now, but the entire team in this configuration hadn’t really existed before this season. The core team at the track during race weekends is 100% Estonian, which I’m very proud of. We’re trying to build on the golden age of Estonian motorsports and Estonian engineering.
