Patrick Hobelsberger and Toni Finsterbusch have settled in at the TT Circuit in Assen. The penultimate round of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) will take place in the Netherlands this coming weekend. The two BMW riders from Team GERT56 already got a taste of what it’s like to stand on the podium during a test at “Jack’s Raceday.”
Jack’s Raceday is the largest motorsports event in the Netherlands. The combination of cars and motorcycles draws in spectators. As always, two races for the Dutch Superbike Championship were held as part of the event. The first race was won by Ricardo Brink, who went on to become champion, and the second by Patrick Hobelsberger—with Toni Finsterbusch hot on his heels.
Just a year ago, Hobelsberger posted his best result of the 2022 Supersport World Championship season at this track, finishing in seventh place. Back then, he battled it out with Hannes Soomer starting in the second lap and right up until the finish. Today, the two are facing off again in the IDM Superbike class. “I really wanted to get some more practice on the bike before the IDM race, because every track feels new on a Superbike,” said Hobelsberger.
But his plan didn’t work out: “The first practice session took place on Friday, and I had qualified in P5. My plan was to run the first qualifying session on used tires and the second on new ones. However, it started raining shortly before the second qualifying session, so I ended up in fifth place.” Both races ended on the podium, moving up just one spot—the same went for his teammate Toni Finsterbusch, who had also traveled with his private BMW training bike. “For Toni and me, a double podium was an absolute dream,” Hobelsberger said happily, “we haven’t achieved that yet in the IDM. Maybe we’ll get our chance this year.”
While Finsterbusch was up and at it early Monday morning in Saxony, Hobelsberger is staying right through the IDM event in Assen and is also thinking practically: “That way, I save myself the trip back and forth. That’s two 900-kilometer trips. And basically, it doesn’t matter where I train on my road bike—here, I even get to see something new for a change.”