Promise to Karsten Wolf kept; now comes the IDM fresh start

Team GERT56 has had a tough year. In January, the team was suddenly forced to rebuild from scratch. Team owner Karsten Wolf passed away unexpectedly on 17 January 2026 following a brief but serious illness. Back in December, Wolf had finalised the team’s line-up for the 2026 season and pulled off a final coup by signing former GP rider Marcel Schrötter.

Holger Homfeld (finance and organisation), Ronny Schlieder (technical), Toni Finsterbusch (rider) and Johannes Bornemann (marketing) took the reins at Team GERT56 by RS Speedbikes. As usual, Toni Finsterbusch and Jan-Ole Jähnig lined up for the Pirna-based team, with IDM returnee Marcel Schrötter as the third member of the line-up. “We simply stepped into the breach,” Homfeld and Schlieder told SPEEDWEEK.com.

The team must stand on its own two feet in the 2027 IDM

The GERT56 quartet also intends to carry on next year and, by their own account, is well into the planning stage. Discussions are ongoing in all directions. “This has nothing to do with finances, but rather with creating synergies. Signing Marcel Schrötter was Karsten Wolf’s legacy. A rider like that is also the perfect figurehead for us.” Alongside Schrötter, Jan-Ole Jähnig is also back on the wish list; he took a little while to get properly into his stride this year, but then went on to lead the race for the first time at the season finale in Hockenheim and even secured a podium finish.

We’re not a wealthy team.

Holger Homfeld and Ronny Schlieder

“Toni Finsterbusch has a guaranteed place in the team,” assure Homfeld and Schlieder, “he can still decide in December whether he wants to race in the IDM for another year or not. We’d naturally love to carry on with Marcel. The atmosphere is very positive.” For the GERT56 leadership quartet, the 2027 season will mark a fresh start. They have kept the promise they made to Karsten Wolf and seen out the 2026 season. From now on, they’ll be standing on their own two feet.

“We’re not a wealthy team,” say Homfeld and Schlieder, summing up the situation, “but things are going well with our riders and we get on well together. Now we’re simply starting afresh. After all, 2026 was always going to be Karsten Wolf’s final year in the championship anyway. We’ve kept our promise and are now planning for next year.”

Wo zieht es Toni Finsterbusch hin?

Foto: GERT56 by RS Speedbikes