For young German riders, winning races or even a title in the Motorcycle World Championship has probably never been as difficult as it is today. The profile of motorsports in Germany is declining, training opportunities north of the Alps are limited, and in countries like Italy and Spain, young talents are nurtured from an early age and prepared for a move to MotoGP or WSBK.
Despite the challenging conditions here, riders continue to make it to the top of the world rankings. Dirk Geiger is one of them. The likable and ambitious Mannheim native first got on a motorcycle at the age of three, rode straight to the podium in his first race at five, and subsequently gained not only experience but also a string of victories and titles in junior classes such as the German Pocketbike Championship, the ADAC Junior Cup, and the Northern European Cup.
Since 2022, the now 22-year-old has been competing in the Supersport 300 World Championship and secured his first victory in his first full season riding the Kawasaki for RT Motorsports by SKM. In 2023, he returned to Team Freudenberg and switched to the new KTM RC 390 R. After initial difficulties adapting to the 2023 model, the combination of a familiar team and a new motorcycle proved to be a winning formula, and Dirk Geiger is currently in first place in the World Championship standings at the start of the second half of the season.
In the latest episode of Slicks and Sunglasses, the ambitious KTM rider explains the differences between the IDM and the World Championship, reveals which world champion he’d like to train with, and discusses when a racer needs to give it their all.