Tom Eder is closing down his IDM team – memories of Gradinger and Steinmayr

“Right, that was my last race,” said Tom Eder after the final round of the Euro Moto – now known once again as the IDM – at the Hockenheimring. After the evening’s revelry – Team Eder is well known for its partying in the IDM paddock – Eder then packed his bags. Only to head off to the next race. However, the Bavarian is actually winding down his own team in the IDM Supersport class. He himself will still be seen in the sidecar division, as was recently the case at the Sidecar Festival in Oschersleben.

Running his own IDM team became too expensive

Eder had founded the team in 2021 and entered it into the IDM Supersport with the Austrian Thomas Gradinger. Eder, now 41, only got on the motorbike himself later on. But now he’s simply running out of time. “I can’t juggle everything anymore,” he announced. “My company, the track days and, on top of that, Euro Moto this year. The effort involved is insane. Financially, too, it’s become too expensive and is no longer sustainable without a major sponsor. I’ve burned through plenty of my own money – you really shouldn’t even add it all up.”

“But I’ve never regretted the decision to get involved in this,” he adds quickly. “It was a great time. With Thomas Gradinger, who was initially the only rider in the team. And with Philipp Steinmayr. Later on, there were three riders. I’ve got all the equipment, after all. The trailer, the pit set-up, the test bench, the workshop.” On top of that came the sidecar venture.

You shouldn’t provoke me – it usually ends in disaster.

Tom Eder

In 2014 and 2015, Tom Eder tried his hand at the Yamaha R6 Cup as it was known at the time. “But then my business took off and I had far too much on my plate,” recalls Eder. In 2021, he returned to the racetrack. He made a guest appearance alongside Thomas Gradinger in the IDM Supersport. This one-off outing was meant to be just for fun. But the inexperienced team made a costly mistake, and unauthorised refuelling on the starting grid led to a corresponding penalty. “And suddenly, that was all anyone was talking about,” says Eder, adding with a laugh, “and you shouldn’t provoke me – it usually ends in disaster. ‘We’ll be back,’ was my announcement, and shortly afterwards I bought a lorry and hired my first mechanics.”

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Steinmayr’s death left its mark

Eder himself treated himself to a one-off guest appearance in 2023 and went on to complete a full season. For the last two years, other drivers have been racing for his team. Even though the 41-year-old says he still feels like he’s 28. The idea of winding up the team had already begun to take root last year, particularly following the far too early death of his Austrian racing colleague and friend Philipp Steinmayr. Eder had then added another year in 2026 with the Feigl brothers. “But my decision was final, and I informed the team of this in Assen. I’ll miss the racing family.”

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Foto: Eder Racing