Since the start of the current season, the Bert Poensgen Cup has been awarded at every event to a particularly outstanding rider from any of the top classes in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM). At the Nürburgring, Superbike rider Toni Finsterbusch from the IDM Superbike class received the award.
“We chose Toni because, after a very mixed practice session, he raced his way from seventh on the grid to the podium. He really hung on to his opponents and passed many of them. Toni delivered a top performance,” says Stefan Schmidt of Motorrad Center Altendiez (MCA), who presented him with the trophy and a cash prize in the Eifel region. Businessman Schmidt owns a racing team himself, and his son competes in the IDM Supersport.
The trophy is presented at every IDM event by different companions of Poensgen. During his nearly 30-year career as head of marketing and sales, the astute Poensgen led the Suzuki brand to the top of the registration statistics several times. Poensgen was a passionate motorsports enthusiast and leveraged his commitment on the racetrack to drive the brand’s success. He died of a heart attack in 2017 at the age of 69.
“I knew who he was, but I didn’t know him personally,” said 31-year-old Finsterbusch after receiving the trophy. “The trophy is something special to me because my performance was recognized. It wasn’t about having to win at all costs.”
BMW M 1000 RR rider Finsterbusch has climbed to third place in the IDM Superbike overall standings thanks to his results at the Nürburgring. “If possible, I want to defend that position at the Hockenheim finale. I’m hoping for a consistent weekend.” He holds an 11-point lead over his GERT56 teammate Patrick Hobelsberger. He is 12 championship points ahead of Hannes Soomer from Estonia. Finsterbusch is keeping a particularly close eye on Soomer. “Soomer is pushing hard, is in top form, and won at the Nürburgring while scoring consistently. He’s closing in fast.”
Finsterbusch treated himself to a special kind of workout this week. He rode his road bike on the test track at the Porsche plant in Leipzig. It takes him a quarter of an hour to get there by car. “Fibu” is thrilled with the facility. “The course is a replica that incorporates sections of existing race tracks and features many well-known turns, such as the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca or the Parabolika at the Hockenheimring.”
