PPS Endurance Racing Team: entering a new era and a new global arena
Bridgestone has supported several local and international teams in the world of motorcycle endurance racing over the years. In the 2025 season, Bridgestone will continue an existing partnership with PPS Endurance Racing Team as they gear up for a pivotal year that will include their first competition on the world stage.
Getting to know the PPS Endurance Racing Team
PPS is far from new to the racing game: the exceptional team has already proven their potential – and then some – in national competitions and races at the European level.
Riders Daniel Vermaas and Michiel Burger first teamed up over six years ago. The duo started in the Moto 1000 class of the German Endurance Championship (DLC), before speeding into the official Endurance class on a Yamaha R1. With Bridgestone’s support, the team was soon turning heads and winning titles across multiple seasons. Together, Burger and Vermaas became a competitive force to be reckoned with and they still make up the core of team PPS today.
A power move and a new partnership
In a stroke of genius, the team turned their main rivalry into a strategic collaboration in 2023. JoJ Racing Team had experienced up close and personal what PPS was capable of, so they invited the team to join forces.
The partnership was a brilliant move that brought together critical skills, decades of expertise and team resources to help the new collective reach a whole new level in endurance racing. Their bike of choice? The Kawasaki ZX-10RR.
Team dynamics fuel energy and endurance
Burger knows how much the entire team matters in endurance racing. “Doing 24 hours with four guys on one bike – but also the whole team effort, all the people working together – it just gives you a lot of energy.”
PPS team mechanic Matthias Geißler is on the same page. “It’s all in the dynamics of the riders, of the team. There’s team spirit, speed on the track as well as in the pits, technology, the function of all members of the team. The whole interaction simply makes this the best type of racing for me.”
Turning setbacks into triumph
At the 24 Hours of Barcelona last year, the team’s hopes of competing were crushed by five crashes during training sessions and qualifications. They shared the tough news by posting their badly damaged bike on social media. “We’ll explain more about what happened later, but for now we need to catch our breath.”
Team manager Janik Kaufmann isn’t one to admit defeat, though. “It’s the team spirit. You just keep pushing everybody to the maximum and you don’t stop. The bike crashed? You build it up, you go again. It crashes again? You do it again until [you see] the chequered flag.”
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the team took some major insights from Barcelona and turned them into a stellar victory. At the 6 Hours of Spa, the PPS Endurance Racing Team walked away with the Trophy Pro Endurance Class title.
What’s in store for PPS in 2025?
Right now, the team is gearing up for a pivotal season. On top of the EWC’s 8 Hours of Spa Motos and 24 Hours Bol d’Or, team PPS has even more key races on the roster for 2025. Expect to see them in action at the 24 Hours of Barcelona, the 6 Hours of Motorcycling in Spa, and the full German Endurance Championship.
The EWC will put a global spotlight on PPS for the first time, but Bol d’Or won’t be their first attempt at a 24-hour competition. Vermaas was thrilled to make it to Barcelona last year, even though the outcome was rough. “Ever since I started endurance racing, it’s been my dream to take part in a 24-hour race. Thanks to the JOJ team and Bridgestone, we’ve been given the opportunity to ride in the first 24-hour race of my career.”
When it comes to endurance, the team is all in. “The sense of community, battling against fatigue, dealing with repairing a crashed motorcycle. Everyone gives everything for that common goal,” says PPS rider Billy Hilpert. “This type of spirit only exists within endurance racing. It doesn’t get any better.”
The sky could very well be the limit for the PPS Endurance Racing Team. As they get ready to go global, all signs point to an incredible, game-changing year for this inspiring team.
Pictures by : Tim Fritzch
