Precision at 300 km/h - star-digital

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Precision at 186 miles/hr (300 km/h) – from the man and the machine

For a premium claim, everything has to fit.

It takes real precision to push motorbikes with 1000 cc and just over 200 hp weighing around 353 lbs (160 kg) to their limit. Precision from not only the rider but also the mechanics who work on these rockets. Starrag athlete Toni Finsterbusch pushes one such superbike, his “BMW M 1000 RR”, to the limit at the International German Motorcycling Championships (IDM). And the competition is tough: 29 international racers, some with world championship experience.

Trust is everything!

The stage is set in the city of Most in the Czech Republic. It is the third stage of the IDM season and the first race in the superbike class. Toni Finsterbusch is among the front runners and wants to win or at least finish on the podium. Third lap, second-to-last bend. No brake pressure. Finsterbusch has to catch up. An earlier wobble of the front wheel had pushed the brake pistons into the calliper, and when Toni first went to pull the lever, nothing happened.

He takes control of the situation at 260 km/h, ploughs through the gravel, keeps the BMW M 1000 RR on both its wheels and rejoins the race.

Technology.

Finsterbusch’s equipment is prepared in Pirna, Saxony. Not only is his “GERT56” team based there, but also tuner and chief technician Ronny Schlieder from RS Speedbikes. Schlieder’s motivation has always been to push motorbikes to their technical limits and to make full use of their potential within the existing regulations. But it’s about more than just engine power. Everything has to be just so, especially when it comes to the chassis and brakes. “When you’re riding down the Seng in Schleiz [editor’s note, a natural race track and otherwise a normal country road] at 149 miles/hr (240 km/h), you need to have complete faith,” says Finsterbusch.

Precision at 300 km/h – from the man and the machine

“You place your trust in everything and everyone: In your mechanics, in the fact that all the bolts are tight, that the brakes work, that the suspension fits, that the tyres will tell you everything you need to know about the asphalt for handling.” If this doesn’t all work in harmony, there will be no lap times. Or sometimes it can quickly end painfully.

“Unfortunately, I’ve already sustained a few serious injuries in my career,” says Finsterbusch. But he always fought to get back on his feet and back on his bike – and, what’s more, back to the top of the respective classes. Where does he always find the drive to do this? “One factor is that with most injuries, the crash wasn’t even my fault which allows you to deal with it very differently than you would if you knew it was you who had messed up.” But apart from that, it is also in his nature. As well as being a passionate motorbike racer, Finsterbusch is also a young entrepreneur and runs the family-owned company Pumpentechnik Finsterbusch GmbH with a total of eight employees.

There, too, the racer has to make quick decisions – just like on the racetrack – and there, too, it’s all about precision – just like on a racing motorbike.

The 1000 cc racing bikes from BMW are approved for road use, but built for the race track. “In my opinion, the BMW gives you the best basis for racing,” says chief technician Schlieder. And yet there are still some parts that get the chop – or aren’t even supplied in the first place. “We start with a rolling chassis and then completely rebuild our motorbike,” he explains. Rolling chassis means: Frame, engine, wheels. Everything else no longer has much to do with the series, even if the external appearance must be retained, as is the case with the panelling.

Oschersleben/Sachsenring

If everything works out, then you are at the front. If it doesn’t, you slip right back very quickly. Finsterbusch experienced this in particular at the second stage of the season in Oschersleben near Magdeburg.

“I finished second and fifth in the season opener at the Sachsenring,” said the Krostitz-based rider, looking back. And things also went well in Oschersleben to begin with. “I managed to lead the field for a few laps,” he says, looking at the positives. “But then I had serious problems with the tyres and couldn’t keep up with the pace of the others.” The results from the first race highlight just how unforgiving a sport it really is: Finsterbusch was relegated from the top positions and only finished in tenth place. Arguably still a strong performance, but “in this case, nothing more than damage limitation,” he says.

The weekend in Most mentioned at the beginning ended in similar fashion. Finsterbusch finished tenth in the first race after his brief excursion through the gravel. Things looked better in the second race – although still not quite as good as he’d like. “I was in contention for victory until the halfway point, but then fell victim to my own conservative tyre choice,” he says. Which means: The tyres are finished, which means no more grip, especially no cornering grip. Finsterbusch falls back – and narrowly misses out a podium place, finishing fourth. And yet he has showcased his reputation and his talent: He continues to rack up the points and climbs to fourth place in the overall rankings.