The celebrations continue for Dion Otten. An extra package has been put together for the 16-year-old Dutch rider. The Pearle Gebben Racing team has now announced the promotion of the former Supersport 300 rider to the IDM Supersport 600 class.
The team is counting on Otten for several years to come. The goal is to enter the Supersport World Championship. Otten is well known in the IDM. In 2018, he secured three wins and four additional podium finishes in the 300cc class. In the title race, he was defeated by his German rival Toni Erhard—of all people—at his home race in Assen.
While Erhard remained in the IDM in 2019, runner-up Otten made the leap to the Supersport 300 World Championship. The 2019 season was a rollercoaster ride for him: top-10 finishes alternated with bad luck and injuries. Added to that was his growing height. Bottom line: Otten no longer belongs in the 300cc class. So he’s now making his debut in the 600cc class on a Yamaha R6. He’s counting on the IDM. It has already shaped him, made him strong, and prepared him for the World Championship.
The first season in the IDM Supersport 600 is set to be a learning year. “Show progress” is the plan for 2020 at Team Pearle Gebben Racing, which has had a strong partner by its side since 2016 in the “Stichting Race Team Drenthe (SRTD)” foundation from the Dutch province of Drenthe in the northeast of the country. Board member Rene Moorman says: “For three years, the SRTD has served as a bridge between the business world and the top echelons of motorsports. With Dion Otten, a rider from our region, we hope to gain even more regional recognition. It’s great to be able to support a talented rider from the Drenthe region on his path to an international career. We will do everything we can to expand our network.”