It was a tragic blow when supersport racer Troy Beinlich was killed in a racing accident last March. Following the tragedy, the family-run Beinlich Racing Team (BRT) suspended all activities. The news that his brother, Chris Beinlich, is returning to the racetrack and competing in the IDM Superbike series seems almost like a miracle in the wake of the tragedy. But it isn’t.
When you walk into the Beinlichs’ home, you find yourself right in the middle of the motorcycle world. Here, racing is a way of life. After Troy’s death, it wasn’t really on anyone’s mind for a long time, but anyone who knows the Beinlichs knows that this isn’t the end of the story. “Even before I’d given it any thought myself, it was clear to my parents that things would continue if I wanted to ride,” says Chris Beinlich, adding, “They always said they’d stand behind me and that we’d make it work.” The 29-year-old from Pössneck has suffered a lot, but he’s eager for his comeback “in the life after.” He says, “I can’t live without racing.” He’s moving up to the IDM Superbike, Germany’s top racing class.
But first, he needs to get healthy. Yesterday, Beinlich underwent surgery on his forearms. It was a typical arm pump surgery. For nearly a year, the Thuringian had been experiencing pain below his wrist. The inflammation just wouldn’t go away. When he tried to prepare for the upcoming Supersport season on a Triumph in Croatia this winter, this setback held him back. “I didn’t ride a mountain bike or any kind of motocross bike all year. It was my toughest year ever.” Now he’s returning to the racetrack along with the Beinlich Racing Team. “But I needed something new, a completely new challenge. Otherwise, it wouldn’t work after everything that happened in 2024.” Without any concrete plans, Chris and his father, Knut Beinlich, met with GERT56 team boss Karsten Wolf in Pirna. They wanted to know what a Superbike season really costs—just to get a feel for the situation. “On the way home, we were totally blown away by the partnership that came out of it,” admits Beinlich Jr.
They purchased a newly built BMW M 1000 RR from the 2024 season. “But even more important to us is the agreed-upon collaboration with the technicians at GERT56 on tuning the bike—and specifically with Ronny Schlieder of RS Speedbikes and his team. The announcement that BMW Motorrad will be focusing more on customer racing is already benefiting us.” During the handover of the M 1000 RR, the motorcycle and its electronics were discussed in detail. Training for the mechanics is next on the to-do list. “We’re even getting our own personalized server space within the GERT56 data structure, which makes remote support much easier and ensures data backup and constant access,” reports Beinlich. What he naturally also likes is the fact that he’ll be going on test rides together with RS Speedbikes and GERT56, with his buddies Toni Finsterbusch and Jan-Ole Jähnig by his side.