Julian Puffe is returning to the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) for one race. This coming weekend at the Red Bull Ring, he will ride the BMW M 1000 RR for the Motoforce Racing Team, a spot that became available following Marc Moser's departure.
“I was already approached in Schleiz about a rider spot opening up,” says 27-year-old Puffe, who had been strolling through the paddock as a spectator. He hadn’t secured a spot in the 2023 IDM Superbike class, and his contract with GERT56 wasn’t renewed. But now Puffe is back—and back on a BMW, a bike he knows well. “After the second Superbike race, once Marc Moser’s departure was official, I had a brief five-minute meeting with Motoforce Racing to see if I could ride—that was it. I won’t really get to know the team and the bike until Friday at the Red Bull Ring.”
Puffe was already in Styria last Friday on his personal training bike. “I tried out the new chicane—I hadn’t ridden it before.” Puffe hadn’t been able to compete in last year’s IDM event in Austria because, after his serious crash in Assen, he had to use crutches for twelve weeks and spend the rest of the year in rehabilitation. By that point, he had already secured four podium finishes.
What are the expectations heading into the upcoming weekend? “I don’t have any expectations in terms of finishing position; I just want to settle into the team as quickly as possible,” said Puffe, “because we want to put together a good package and see how it turns out.”
For the Schleiz native, the return to the IDM is perfect, as he can fit the race at the Red Bull Ring right into the gap before the next World Endurance Championship race at Le Castellet from September 14 to 17. Team LRP Poland, for which Puffe races, will not be participating in the EWC event at Suzuka, which takes place at the same time as the IDM at the Red Bull Ring.