A German rider defeated his Dutch rivals on their home track in Assen this weekend. But before Lennox Lehmann, from Dresden, could raise his Supersport, there were several upsets at the season opener of the International Dutch Championship (IDC).
The participation of riders from the IDM consistently generates excitement in our neighboring country, as the level of competition they bring is exceptionally high. Last year’s IDM Supersport, Luca de Vleeschauwer, for example, took part in the event as a guest rider alongside the 2023 champion, Melvin van der Voort. Both are competing this year for the Track & Trades Wixx Racing Team on a Ducati Panigale V2.
De Vleeschauwer won the sprint into the first corner of the race. After the first lap, the Belgian returned to the track in the lead, ahead of Melvin van der Voort and Yamaha rider Lennox Lehmann, who races for the Dutch team Apreco. The Ducati riders were able to pull away significantly from the field, while Lehmann, Kay van Steenbergen, and Sven Doornenbal appeared to be battling it out among themselves for third place.
It happened on the sixth lap. De Vleeschauwer crashed out of the race while leading. After ten laps, Van der Voort was the first to cross the finish line. However, as a guest rider, he was not included in the official results. The battle for the lead unfolded behind him. And that’s when things really started to heat up. A technical problem with Doornenbal’s motorcycle caused an oil spill, which led to a violent crash. But it wasn’t just the Drujijff Racing rider who went down; Rick Kooistra, Lucas Ahrends, Joey Beekman, Nills Hillmer, and Julian van Kalkeren were also among those affected.
Race officials immediately decided to end the race with a red flag and to count the results as of the ninth lap. As a result, the victory went to 19-year-old Lennox Lehmann from Saxony, ahead of Van Steenbergen and Van Kalkeren. Doornenbal, who had crossed the finish line in third place after the ninth lap, was disqualified from the results for causing the red flag.