Manuel Schoewer: 16 kilos lighter for his comeback in the Pro Superstock 1000 Cup

Anyone who was in Brno watching not only the Euro Moto races but also the Pro Superstock 1000 Cup might have recognised the name Manuel Schoewer. After all, the now 30-year-old had previously competed in the IDM Superbike series a few years ago. To mark his milestone birthday, Schoewer’s passion for racing was rekindled and a comeback was a foregone conclusion.

In 2016, at the age of 20, Manuel Schoewer – a self-confessed latecomer to the sport – lined up on the starting grid in the Yamaha Cup. Until then, he’d enjoyed taking part in track days with his brother. After a second season in the Yamaha Cup in 2017, he made the step up to the IDM Superbike series. “Back then, after two years in the Yamaha Cup, I thought, ‘Now I can do this’,” recalls Schoewer, looking back almost ten years. He joined Marcel Philipp Bach’s new team at the time and rode a Yamaha R1. But the transition didn’t go entirely smoothly.

“At the 2019 IDM season opener at the Motorsportarena Oschersleben, I broke my hand several times in a crash,” he reports. “That pretty much ended the season for me. In 2020, I gave it another go. But then I had a few mechanical issues and crashes, and that was that. To be honest, I’d had enough.”

A major effort for a comeback

But his passion for motorcycling remained. Together with his brother, he attended training sessions run by former IDM Superbike rider Jan Bühn, who has been successfully running a riding school for years. One thing led to another, and eventually he placed an order for a BMW with Werner Daemen’s company, MRP. “My brother had met someone from Champion at the track; they were a sponsor of Werner Daemen’s IDM Superbike team at the time,” explains Schoewer. “In the winter, I was then able to do a test ride in Cartagena, and I’ve since ordered a motorbike from Werner for 2022.”

The collaboration with Werner Daemen has continued to this day. Schoewer treated himself to a debut in the Pro Superstock Cup as a 30th birthday present. And why not return straight to the IDM – now known as Euro Moto? “I think I’d be too out of practice for that after such a long break. But I’m keen to give the Cup another go now. If things go well, we’ll see what we can make of it in 2027. If not, I’ll just stick to being a track-day rider.”

Successful debut in Brno

But before returning to racing, there was training to be done, because simply riding a motorbike fast isn’t enough. Losing weight – and shedding as much as possible – became Schoewer’s new motto in life. “It was very gruelling,” admits Schoewer. “Mentally, too. And it was a tough time for my girlfriend as well.” After four months, the 1.83-metre-tall Schoewer weighed 16 kilograms less and had more muscle than fat. He did strength training twice a week and endurance training twice a week. On top of that, he kept a strict eye on his calorie intake. “Now I’m back in a sort of racing shape,” he concludes, “though I could still do with losing another three or four kilos.”

In Brno, Schoewer lined up on the starting grid for the Pro Superstock 1000 Cup for the first time. Things went well straight away there too; he finished fifth in both races. In the first race, he was just 2.449 seconds behind the winner, Paul Fröde. The topic of track days is likely to be off the agenda, at least for this year.