Nürburgring: Soomer’s comeback with the help of the Estonian Olympic Training Centre

Hannes Soomer was only able to watch the final races of the Euro Moto Superbike series via live stream from home. The Estonian had sustained a serious shoulder injury during practice whilst on his trip to Japan for the World Endurance Championship, which forced him to take a long break. The journey to Japan had begun after the Euro Moto race in Most at the end of May. It took until the start of September for the Estonian to be fit to race again.

Training and racing did not come as easily to him as they had at the start of the season. Whilst direct qualification for Superpole 2 had been the norm at the start of the year, he got stuck in Superpole 1 for the first time at the Nürburgring and started the races from 10th on the grid, in the third row. In both races, after months away from racing, he bravely kept pace with his rivals at the Nürburgring, securing 10th place in one race and 12th in the other. Nevertheless, the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW rider was not dissatisfied. “First and foremost, I was happy to be back,” he said after the event. “But I just wasn’t quite back to my old self yet. My bones have all healed, but my body isn’t quite back to full fitness yet. I was really happy with the first race. In the second one, my arm gave me a bit of trouble. A whole weekend was probably a bit too much for it. It was, after all, quite a serious injury.”

Dress rehearsal for the Bol d’Or

Whilst his team looks after his wellbeing during the races – and is now well-versed in the use of tape bandages – back home he relies on the support of the Estonian Olympic Training Centre. “They’ve taken brilliant care of everything,” reports Soomer. “From the operation right through to rehab.” Soomer now has one week left to get back into shape. This coming Sunday, he’ll be travelling from Estonia to France, where the team is counting on him for the final round of the World Endurance Championship. With the 24-hour race ahead of him, he’s got a real challenge on his hands.

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