At the very last minute, a Yamaha team is rushing to register for the IDM Superbike series. And with that, the importer is also returning to the championship. Motorradtke GYTR Pro Shop by Penz13 will be the only team in the premier class officially supported by Yamaha. South African Sheridan Morais will be the rider. His fairing bears the number “32.”
Team manager Lars Sänger is no stranger to the scene. In the IDM, he won the Supersport championship in 2010 with Australian rider Damian Cudlin. The 41-year-old from Thuringia is considered one of Germany’s best mechanics. Having also built a career as a mechanic in the World Endurance Championship and still not having had his fill of racing, he now had the unique opportunity to lead the official Yamaha team in the IDM Superbike series after Michael Galinski’s team moved to the World Superbike Championship two years ago.
Shared duties between the singer and Penzkofer
“We have a great opportunity for a fresh start this year. We have plenty of infrastructure, logistics, and expertise. As the team name suggests, Rico Penzkofer also holds a 50 percent stake,” explains Sänger. However, “Penz” will primarily be focusing on the Supersport riders Justin Hänse and Cedric Holme Nielsen in the new team.
The connection with new Superbike rider Morais was largely established through Penzkofer as well. “He’s practically my protégé,” says the former Yamaha Cup winner. “And he’s raced for my team in the World Endurance Championship. We’ve had a long-standing connection, and I have a lot of respect for him as a rider. He’s a great guy and has won Supersport. And for me, it’s only three highway exits from home to the team.”
What can we expect from this debut season? “We want to give BMW a run for their money, even though we’re just a small crew,” says Sänger, looking forward to the season opener this coming weekend in Oschersleben, adding: “Finishing between 4th and 7th is realistic. Maybe we’ll pull off the Korbußen miracle.” That’s where Motorradtke GbR, a die-hard Yamaha dealer, is based. The town is located a few kilometers east of Gera.