A photo collage in the box and a black sticker on the windshield of all three BMW Superbikes: Team GERT56 by RS Speedbikes is publicly honoring team boss Karsten “KW” Wolf, who passed away in January 2026. Carrying on his legacy is proving to be more difficult than expected.
Ronny Schlieder, Holger Homfeldt, Toni Finsterbusch, and Johannes Bornemann are continuing to lead the racing team in Wolf’s spirit. “But some things that were routine for him, we’re doing for the first time. Whether it’s talking to sponsors or handling the accounting,” says Homfeldt at the EURO MOTO season opener at the Sachsenring, admitting: “Actually, everything is new. I hadn’t expected this much work. But next year we’ll know what to expect.”
Toni Finsterbusch, Jan-Ole Jähnig, and the high-profile new addition to the team, Marcel Schrötter, make up the rider lineup for the current season. KW signed former World Championship rider Schrötter on short notice over the winter, then announced the news without fanfare, simply to share the good news with everyone. And today would have been a day he would have enjoyed. Riding the BMW M 1000 RR in mixed weather conditions, Schrötter finished third in Superpole Pre-Practice behind defending champion Lukas Tulovic (Ducati) and Florian Alt (Honda).
Finsterbusch, Jähnig, and Schrötter had been out testing several times before the start of the EURO MOTO season, but only once together. That was during their second trip to Valencia, Spain. Schrötter missed the first trip to Almería due to a torn tendon in his elbow.
