Hannes Soomer had to watch the recent EURO MOTO Superbike races—from the comfort of his own sofa. The Estonian followed his colleagues’ exploits on the track via livestream. A severe shoulder injury sustained during the final test for the World Endurance Championship at Suzuka had sidelined him for weeks. On Wednesday, July 1, 2026, he crashed on the second and final official test day for the 8 Hours of Suzuka.
At the Nürburgring, the 28-year-old from the Masteroil-Alpha-Van-Zon-BMW team was fit enough to compete in a race weekend again. The comeback was no walk in the park. At the start of the season, advancing directly to Superpole 2 had become the norm for Soomer. At the Nürburgring, however, he got stuck in Superpole 1. He started in tenth place—the third row.
In the races, Soomer then showed that the racing software is still running flawlessly. Tenth in the first race, twelfth in the second. Not exactly spectacular results, “but first and foremost, I was just happy to be back,” he said, adding, “but I just wasn’t quite back to my old self yet. My bones have all healed, but my body isn’t quite back in shape yet.”
The first race went surprisingly well for him. “I was really happy with that.” After the second race, his enthusiasm was more subdued. The BMW could have handled it, but at some point, Soomer’s shoulder had other plans. “My arm was giving me a little trouble. I guess a whole weekend was a bit much for it. It was a more serious injury after all.” After the Nürburgring event, his team is now well-versed not only in motorcycles but also in taping. Back home in Estonia, Soomer receives support from the Olympic Training Center. “They took great care of everything,” he says. “From the surgery all the way through rehab.”
