At first, he thought he had won the Supersport class championship. However, following a protest and a decision made retroactively behind closed doors, Twan Smits went down in the history of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) as runner-up last year. He doesn’t want that to happen again. The 20-year-old Dutchman wants to know for sure who’s in the lead on the track, hoping that things will go better in Oschersleben than they did at the season opener at the Sachsenring.
Twan Smits stood on the podium a total of eight times last year. He won four races and finished second four times. The Dutchman lived up to his nickname, “El Raketo.” The 2024 season, however, got off to a rocky start. With 20 points from the Sachsenring, the Yamaha rider from Team Apreco is now, surprisingly, heading to Oschersleben in seventh place overall in the standings. He ranks behind rookies such as Dirk Geiger and Lennox Lehmann.
“The season opener at the Sachsenring was a very difficult weekend for me,” Smits reflects, and he knows why: “From the first race on, I had the pace to keep up with the leaders. We’ve since analyzed what went wrong,” he adds, making it clear: “I’m sure everything will be different at Oschersleben.”
Although Smits is among the potential title contenders as the runner-up, he doesn’t feel any pressure. The only pressure he feels is the pressure he puts on himself because he wants to live up to his own expectations. He also wants to continue developing as a driver. That’s the plan.
“What I didn’t expect was the much tougher competition this year,” Smits admits, sounding enthusiastic. “It’s definitely welcome. This is a great opportunity to keep growing and learning.” He knows exactly where his strengths lie. “I’m pretty strong under braking and going into corners. The Yamaha is a precise and agile bike that suits my riding style.”
