Guest driver Loris Veneman pulled off a surprise victory. Dirk Geiger finished second, and Inigo Iglesias managed to secure third place.
In the IDM Supersport , a new face appeared on the podium after Saturday’s first race. Loris Veneman (Veneman Racesupport) made his IDM debut as a guest rider at Assen and won the first race in the junior class after a perfectly timed passing move. Before the podium ceremony, he revealed the strategy he successfully executed during the race. “I tried to make the most of the slipstream on every lap and position myself as best as possible,” said the son of former Dutch motorcycle racer Barry Veneman. Despite a long-lap penalty from Q1, which he served early in the race, the World Supersport —currently ranked 17th—managed to fight his way back into the leading group. On the final lap, he waited for his chance—and it came. “I found a small gap that was just right for passing Dirk and Inigo,” Veneman continued. Since the Dutchman competed as a guest rider, he will not be counted toward the championship standings despite the victory.
The full 25 points therefore went to second-place finisher Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing). As he had done in previous race weekends, the Mannheim native delivered another strong performance and once again demonstrated his tenacity. “It went well, but I chose the wrong line on the last lap, so Loris was able to slip past,” Geiger commented. He added that he would try to handle it better in the next race. In addition to the IDM, the KTM rider also competes in the World Championship, where he is currently second in the standings.
Despite finishing third and scoring 20 points, the day was anything but satisfying for Inigo Iglesias (Füsport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki). Although the championship leader dominated the race for the most part and showed no signs of uncertainty, he ultimately failed to secure the victory. “That wasn’t enough today,” said the Spaniard, who had been set back three grid positions for the first race due to a penalty from race control and was already emotionally shaken as a result. “I made a mistake on the last lap, which is why I couldn’t get close enough to Dirk,” Iglesias continued, slightly annoyed. In addition, the support he had hoped for from his teammate Kevin Sabatucci failed to materialize. The Italian braked too hard midway through the race, went wide, and was only able to rejoin the chasing pack later on.
Ferre Fleerackers (B.art Racing) missed a great chance to claim his first podium finish today. The Belgian was in good spirits and competing at the front of the pack, but a misjudged braking maneuver while drafting sent his Kawasaki into the gravel trap on the seventh lap.
The action continues in the IDM Supersport with the second race on Sunday at 2:40 p.m. Spectators can watch the race for free via the IDM livestream on YouTube at www.idm.de/live.
SSP 300 Results, Race 1:
- Loris VENEMAN (NLD/Kawasaki)
- Dirk GEIGER (DEU/KTM)
- Inigo IGLESIAS (ESP/Kawasaki)
- Ruben BIJMAN (NLD/Yamaha)
- Kevin SABATUCCI (ITA/Kawasaki)
- Lennox LEHMANN (GER/KTM)
- Dustin SCHNEIDER (GER/KTM)
- Ferre FLEERACKERS (BEL/Kawasaki)
- Thom MOLENAAR (NLD/Kawasaki)
- Sven DOORNENBAL (NLD/Kawasaki)