The news comes as a surprise. Speculation that Thomas Gradinger was taking a break from motorcycle racing has proven unfounded. The implications are far greater. The 28-year-old Austrian from St. Marienkirchen near Schärding is drawing a line under his career on the circuit.
When we speak to him, the always cheerful and colorful Austrian, who is always up for a laugh, is on his way back from motocross training in Italy. He has bought a 350 Husquarna and thinks it's cool to be able to share his hobby with his girlfriend, "and it's still something with two wheels," as he says. "If I feel like it, I'll race sometimes, but in a very relaxed way," 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, but with Yamaha. It was difficult to find the right motivation throughout the season. Racing takes a lot of time, and I've been doing it for 15 years. You have to make sure you're physically fit, which I wasn't always. And you have to get even faster, because the young riders are coming up behind you."
The past season did not go optimally for the Upper Austrian. He finished his rise to Superbikes in 14th place overall in Germany's highest racing class. "But that's not the reason," he interjects, "I enjoy riding motorcycles. It's everything that goes with it."
Gradinger thinks about his future when he says, "I have to earn my keep too." At home, the tattoo enthusiast works in the family business. The Gradingers have a waste collection and transport company. "It's fine the way it is now," says Gradinger, who has also spoken to former World Championship rider Christian Kellner. Kellner told him that there is no perfect time to stop 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 raced in the Spanish Road Racing Championship (CEV) in the Moto2 class. At the end of the 2016 season, he entered the IDM Supersport 600 with the Buchner Motorsport team. Gradinger finished on the podium in four of six races, including two victories in the season finale at the Hockenheimring. The following year, he competed for Team MPB in Supersport 600. "Tomsi" won four races and finished on the podium in ten of twelve races, securing the championship title with a 26-point lead over Kevin Wahr. He also competed in the Supersport World Championship for the first time at the Lausitzring. As a wildcard rider, he finished ninth and scored seven World Championship points. In 2018, Gradinger competed in the entire Supersport World Championship and finished the season as the best rookie in seventh place overall. "If someone had predicted that a year earlier, I would have laughed at them," he said at the time. The trained car mechanic had previously only known his opponents from television.
He moved to the Kallio Racing Team for the 2019 season. The Austrian achieved his first pole position on the third race weekend at Motorland Aragón and his first World Championship podium finish at the following event in Assen. Gradinger signed with the Kiefer Racing Team for the 2020 season. However, during the preseason preparations, team boss Jochen Kiefer announced that the budget was not sufficient for a full season and withdrew from the World Championship. As a result, Gradinger did not secure a regular rider seat in 2020. When he returned to the IDM in 2021 and registered in the Supersport class with Team Eder Racing, he picked up where he had left off a few years earlier: with victories and podium finishes. Team boss Thomas Eder is also one of his best friends. However, Gradinger also suffered several serious injuries during his career. In 2022, he injured his shoulder when he crashed into the tire wall at the Schleizer Dreieck, suffered a bruised lung and broke his third, fourth and fifth thoracic vertebrae.
