Arne Tode started racing minibikes at the age of 10 and it was not long before he was riding competitively, enjoying his first race at the Sachsenring circuit, and in 1999 he won the ADAC Junior Cup.

Progression to the German 125cc championship followed, in which he competed in 2000 and 2001, before a switch to supersport the next year and his first victory in the series came in 2005. That laid the foundation for success, and in 2006 Tode was German supersport champion, winning seven out of the eight races of the campaign on a Honda.

In 2007 Tode competed in the FIM Superstock 1000 on a Honda with a best race finish of sixth, before regaining the German supersport crown the following year with five wins from 14 races. Runner-up behind Tode in the 2008 championship was fellow Moto2 debutant Vladimir Ivanov.

2009 saw Tode compete in the German superbike championship where he placed fifth overall on a Honda, in a team owned by Dietmar Franzen. Tode now starts a new adventure in the inaugural Moto2 World Championship in 2010, with Franzen as his chide mechanic for Racing Team Germany.