Sometimes decisions are made overnight. After two years and many experiences, South African Dorren Loureiro has decided to withdraw from the FIM Supersport World Championship. The 22-year-old rider from Johannesburg made his decision following the dramatic race weekend in Jerez. Loureiro parted ways with the Dutch-German Füsport–RT Motorsports by SKM–Kawasaki team with 51 World Championship points and in 16th place overall.
Team manager Rob Vennegoor has found a replacement rider in Dirk Geiger for the World Championship final currently taking place in Portugal. The Mannheim native is one of the most successful competitors in the IDM Supersport series. He secured four victories this season for the Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team.
“Of course, our team rider Marvin Siebdrath would have been our first choice for the Kawasaki,” Vennegoor admits candidly, “but he couldn’t step in on such short notice.” A week ago, Siebdrath finished as the IDM runner-up with Füsport–RT Motorsports by SKM–Kawasaki. “What’s important to me is that we were able to sign a fast rider. And with Dirk, everything fell into place,” Vennegoor continues. “The Freudenberg team is giving him the opportunity to race for us, and in doing so, giving a young German athlete the chance to compete at the world level.”
The international stage isn't entirely new to the 21-year-old. He has already competed in the Moto3 World Championship and the Moto3 Junior World Championship. In today’s free practice session for the Supersport , Geiger got his first taste of the Kawasaki Ninja 400. He posted a time of 1:57.238 and finished 18th out of 42 riders.