The Beinlich team had a tough time during the past IDM Supersport season. For Christoph “Chris” Beinlich, the drama unfolded in several acts due to various engine failures. Nevertheless, his tremendous fighting spirit kept bringing the 28-year-old from Pößneck back into the points, even when he had to start from the very back of the grid, as he did at Assen. At the end of the year, he finished eighth in the overall standings. His brother Troy, seven years his junior, had to find his footing as a rookie in the Supersport class but improved steadily. The Beinlichs, led by team boss and father Knut, are as much a part of the IDM as sand is to the sea. But right now, that stronghold is in danger of crumbling.
The previous main sponsor did not renew the two-year contract, and the website states: “Two Yamaha R6 RJ27s from the 2023 IDM season are for sale. The motorcycles are fully built to World SSP Next Generation regulations, and both bikes are identical.” The engine, which Chris generously borrowed from the mvr-Racing Team after suffering engine failure in Assen—and without which he would not have been able to race—was purchased by the team and left in the motorcycle.
Another season will only happen if the two motorcycles find new owners and new opportunities arise. Otherwise, it’s over. Knut Beinlich explains: “The plan was to buy the two used 2023 Triumphs from Team MotoLife for this purpose, but they’re going to World Championship riders John McPhee and Jorge Navarro as practice bikes. Our plan didn’t work out.” Continuing with the two stock-spec Yamahas makes no sense. It would be like fighting the next-generation bikes with blunt weapons.
Although things aren’t going well for the Beinlichs in Pößneck, Thuringia, all is not lost. “We need time,” says Knut Beinlich, who secretly hopes to get everything back on track. He’s always managed to do so in the past.
