The season opener of the World Endurance Championship at Le Mans threw a wrench in Hannes Sommer’s plans back in April. Instead of completing a few more fast laps in preparation for the IDM season opener, he ended up in the hospital with a shoulder injury after a crash. Rest was the order of the day. As a result, the first two Superbike races took place without the 26-year-old Estonian from Team Enos Motorsport. In Oschersleben, the BMW rider can finally make his debut in Germany’s top motorcycle racing class.
“It was a strange feeling to watch the race I was supposed to be in via livestream from my couch,” says Hannes Soomer, reflecting on the past few weeks of his recovery. The Estonian had a shot at the title in the IDM Superbike series until the final round last year and ultimately finished fourth overall. The fact that he couldn’t compete from the start this time really bothered him, especially since the competition has grown in terms of both riders and brands. “The lap times at the Sachsenring were incredible, but,” Soomer noted, “the guys at the front were more or less the same as last year, with a few exceptions.” Nevertheless, he sees a tough task ahead for himself and the entire team if they are to compete with the field starting with the first race in Oschersleben. Over the winter, the crew switched from Honda to BMW.
Soomer has mostly recovered from his shoulder injury. He doesn’t feel any pain in his daily life. “It’s only when I’m driving or training that I feel it in my shoulder after my body has cooled down. But it’s nothing I can’t handle,” he downplays.
Last week, the Enos Motorsport team was testing at the Pärnu test track. The progress has been slower than originally planned. “We still need to do several more tests, and we’re certainly not as fast as we’d hoped to be before the season, but our preparations are as good as they can be right now. We’ll see how it goes this coming Sunday.”