It was his great role model who put him in the fast lane at a very early age. During his youth, Filip’s father Richard had also always been in a hurry, was an active racing cyclist and cross country skier. Not one of those skiers who take things gently, but a real double world champion at the “Masters” over 15 kilometres classic, and in the relay. And also the European Roller Ski Champion, on skis he made himself.
Young Filip grew up in his parents’ sports shop in Raubling in the Rosenheim district. No wonder, then, that this turned out to be the ideal breeding ground for his own sporting dreams. “At 12, I used my savings to buy a 125 cc Enduro bike and used to secretly tear around a nearby tank training area on it,” he recalls. At 16, when he was finally allowed to take his driving test, his driving instructor said to his father, “The lad should be on the race track.”
The driving instructor obviously knew what he was talking about. Even if Filip had already proved his prowess in alpine skiing, BMX racing, cross country skiing and cycling, motorcycle racing had always been his dream. “Through my training as a bike mechanic, I became more and more immersed in the world of motorcycles. I was totally hooked,” explains Filip.
His father noticed this, too. Without further ado, he registered his boy for a RedBull trial. “That was the first time I ever sat on a street motorcycle. An amazing feeling,” says Filip. And he took off like a rocket. Of the 700 participants, some 15 were selected to take part in the ADAC’s RedBull Rookies Cup. “This was the best thing that ever happened to me, even if I did have a massive smash in the first race, and I ended up with concussion and a splitting head.” It just didn’t matter. A year later, he was the second best newcomer to this racing series.
Father Richard was thrilled, his mother, however, was considerably less euphoric: “There are so many nice things you could do in your spare time – a bit of sport, cooking, playing an instrument,” was how she put it. Ultimately, however, though far from endorsing it, she did finally accept his decision to ride motorbikes.
Filip knows that racing has always been dangerous. “However, I’m well able to weigh up the risks and I know my limits.” A claim that is borne out by the fact that his worst injury so far, a fracture of the femoral neck, happened not on the race track but when he was riding his BMX bike in 2016. “These things happen,” he says, shrugging his shoulders. The result was an artificial hip, but is able to ride his motorbike again without it restricting him in any way.
Filip’s racing career took him through the YAMAHA Cup, where he won the overall rating on an R6 in 2008, to the 1000 cc Superbike class, in which he competed with his BMW team GERT 56. Success followed quickly: victory in the German Championships in 2011, with a new record at the Salzburgring track, and Best in Class in the Open category of the 24-hour race at Le Mans.
Racing aside, Filip has also given everything he’s got in his job. Including the time he spent at the school for master motorcycle and bicycle mechanics. “That’s going to be quite a challenge, on top of your racing,” his friends warned him. “I’ll manage,” was Filip’s reply. “I’m up for it.” He has long since gained his Master Craftsman Certificate.
It was during his super bike phase that Filip met Marc, who since 2012 has headed the constantly growing development team dealing with motorcycle-related matters at EDAG. In 2017, Filip’s enormous experience and technical know-how came right on cue. Particularly when the latest developments for BMW are concerned.
“We are working flat out on brakes and control systems,” reports Filip. Aside from working in the office and development laboratories, more than anything else, this means a great deal of active testing for the racer: “On the test track, we want to find out about the status of the ABS and traction behaviour on different surfaces. After all, this concerns the safety and durability of our systems.”
Filip had in fact already ended his active racing career. The only reason he was still at the track was as a riding coach. His last competition was the long-distance Superstock World Championship with the German Endurance Racing Team. But then, mid-race, one of the three team members injured his hand. Filip had to step in, and promptly led his team to a place on the podium. “Long-distance racing is a team sport,” says Filip. “It’s not just about putting the rider on a pedestal and then wending your way home again after eight hours. In a team, you just have to see a 24-hour race through. Everyone is equally important, even the cook. And if I’m fit, well then I also ride, too. It’s a question of the success of every one of us.” For Filip, far from being an imposition, this is “pure enjoyment”.
