"Letters are sent, not races." That was the motto of GERT56 team boss Karsten Wolf. That phrase and “KW” have earned a permanent place at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. On Saturday, both were immortalized on a golden plaque on the “Walk of Fame” in the lobby of the track hotel.
The “Walk of Fame” is intended to honor motorsports personalities. Karsten Wolf thus joins a distinguished group. Among those honored are Stefan Bradl, Ralph Bohnhorst, Jonas Folger, Jörg Teuchert, Max Deubel, Egbert and Bennie Streuer, Olaf Manthey, and René Rast. It’s particularly fitting that the commemorative plaque for his longtime driver, Toni Finsterbusch, is located right next to his.
The award recognizes, above all, Wolf’s extraordinary achievements as team manager of the GERT56 team in the FIM Endurance World Championship. With its victory at the 2018 Bol d’Or and its triumph at the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans—both in the Superstock class—the team made motorsports history.
The entire GERT56 team had come to Oschersleben for the ceremony. It was, accordingly, a very emotional moment. Racing legend Ronny Schlieder summed up the significance of the award: “KW has always referred to Oschersleben as his ‘racing living room.’ We’re very happy that he can now ‘move in’ here in this way.”
For the 2021 season, Team GERT56 had moved from the World Endurance Championship to the Superbike class of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM), which has been upgraded and will be held as EURO MOTO starting in 2026. Karsten Wolf passed away on January 17, 2026, at the age of 61, following a brief but serious illness.
