The news comes as a surprise. Speculation that Thomas Gradinger was taking a break from motorcycle racing has not proven true. The implications are far greater. The 28-year-old Austrian from St. Marienkirchen near Schärding is calling it quits on his career in circuit racing.
As we speak with him, this always cheerful and equally colorful Austrian—who’s always up for a good time—is on his way back from motocross training in Italy. He’s bought a 350cc Husqvarna and thinks it’s cool to be able to share his hobby with his girlfriend, “and it’s still something on two wheels,” as he puts it. “If I feel like it, I’ll race once in a while, but just for fun,” he adds.
The decision to leave circuit racing is final. Thomas “Tomsi” Gradinger explains: “I was already undecided before last season. Then I tested a Honda Superbike, and one thing led to another—though with Yamaha. Throughout the entire season, it was difficult to find the right motivation. Racing takes a lot of time, and I’ve been doing it for 15 years. You have to make sure you’re physically fit—and I wasn’t always. And you have to keep getting faster, because the young riders are coming up.”
Last season didn't go exactly as planned for the Upper Austrian. He finished his debut season in Superbike in 14th place overall in Germany's top racing class. "But that's not the problem," he interjects, "I love riding motorcycles. It's everything that goes along with it."
Gradinger is thinking about his future when he says, “I have to make a living, too.” At home, the tattoo enthusiast helps out in the family business. The Gradingers run a waste collection and transportation company. “Things are fine the way they are right now,” says Gradinger, who has also spoken with former World Championship rider Christian Kellner. Kellner told him that there’s never a perfect time to quit anyway. “And I’ve done it now,” says Gradinger.
His career began in 2009 in the ADAC Junior Cup, leading him to the IDM 125 and IDM Moto3. He then competed in the Moto2 class of the Spanish Road Racing Championship (CEV). At the end of the 2016 season, he made his debut in the IDM Supersport 600 with Team Buchner Motorsport. Gradinger finished on the podium in four of six races, including two victories at the season finale at the Hockenheimring. The following year, he raced for Team MPB in the Supersport 600. “Tomsi” won four races and stood on the podium in ten of twelve races, securing the championship title with a 26-point lead over Kevin Wahr. He also made his debut in the Supersport World Championship at the Lausitzring. As a wildcard rider, he finished ninth and earned seven World Championship points. In 2018, Gradinger competed in the full Supersport World Championship and finished the season as the top rookie in seventh place overall. “If someone had predicted that to me a year earlier, I would have laughed in their face,” he said at the time. The trained auto mechanic had previously known his competitors only from television.
For the 2019 season, he joined the Kallio Racing Team. The Austrian secured his first pole position during the third race weekend at Motorland Aragón and his first World Championship podium finish at the following event in Assen. For the 2020 season, Gradinger signed with the Kiefer Racing Team. However, even while preparations for the season were underway, team boss Jochen Kiefer announced that the budget was insufficient for a full season and withdrew from the World Championship. As a result, Gradinger did not secure a regular rider spot for 2020. When he returned to the IDM in 2021 and entered the Supersport class with the Eder Racing team, he picked up right where he had left off a few years earlier: with wins and podium finishes. Team boss Thomas Eder is also one of his best friends. However, Gradinger has also suffered several serious injuries during his career. In 2022, for example, he injured his shoulder at the Schleizer Dreieck when he crashed into the tire barriers, sustaining a bruised lung and fracturing his third, fourth, and fifth thoracic vertebrae.
