Thousands of spectators witnessed just how competitive the junior class is during the second race of the IDM Supersport 300 at the Gamma Racing Day on the TT Circuit Assen. Kawasaki factory rider Scott Deroue had the victory in the bag after just four laps. He only had to stay on his bike for twelve laps. The Dutch guest rider from the Supersport 300 World Championship had already built a 6.11-second lead after the first third of the race. He was the only rider posting lap times under the 1:54 mark. By the finish, his lead over the chasing pack had grown to 15.844 seconds.
Walid Khan crossed the finish line in second place. As the top IDM rider, he earned the maximum 25 points. Third on the podium was Dion Otten (Kawasaki), who, as another guest rider, also competed outside the official standings. Ruben Bijman, however, was able to enjoy the benefits of finishing fourth. The Dutchman earned 20 points and was also the fastest Yamaha rider. Rick Dunnik took home 16 points.
In the penultimate lap, it still looked like Toni Erhard was headed for an IDM victory on his KTM. The Saxon led the field behind Deroue. Right in his slipstream, Robert Schotmann, Otten, Dunnik, Khan, Bijman, Licciardi, Buis, and Velthuizen had lined up like clockwork. It didn’t end well for Erhard. In the final lap, he was pushed back to seventh place in the final sprint.
The race results brought about some changes in the overall championship standings. Licciardi continues to lead the standings. He holds a 20-point lead over Dunnik (151). Velthuizen is third (136) and Bijman is the new fourth-place rider. David Kuban has slipped to fifth place with 115 points. Erhard is just one point behind. Troy Beinlich (Kawasaki) is listed in seventh place with 88 points. He was the unlucky one of the day. While riding in ninth place, the Pößneck native’s chain broke. He coasted to a stop. Beinlich had already suffered the same fate at the Lausitzring.
There were dramatic scenes once again in the duel between Julia Hämmer and Mieke Abbink. This time, only Abbink scored points. Hämmer crashed out of the race in the final lap after her front wheel slipped out from under her. She is fine. The damage to the Yamaha is also minor, and in three weeks, “Jule” plans to show everyone what she’s made of again. That’s when the entire IDM series will be visiting Assen.