After four consecutive wins, Dirk Geiger’s winning streak in the IDM Supersport came to an end. The 22-year-old Honda rider from MCA Racing crashed out of the second race at Most. For the first time, the hard-fought victory in the class went to Daniel Blin (AF Racing) from Poland. Second place went to the Czech rider Štěpán Zuda (Eder Racing). Defending champion Andreas Kofler (Yamalube Motorsport Kofler) managed to hold on for third place.
Marcel Brenner (MotoLife) seemed to rise to the occasion at the front of the pack. After the Swiss rider found his rhythm in yesterday’s first race, he carried that momentum into the second. Dirk Geiger, who at the moment can only be beaten by himself, had said beforehand, however: “I know what I have to do. So, let’s go on the attack.” But the start of what promised to be an extremely exciting race turned into a brief interlude. Julius Caesar Rörig (MCA Racing), Jonáš Kocourek (SP race project), and Ruben Bijman (Molenaar Racing) all crashed into the gravel together in the early stages. The result: the race was stopped with a red flag and restarted for nine laps.
For Kofler, every change of direction hurts differently
Kofler got off to a fantastic start with one of his famous lightning-fast launches. Nevertheless, Geiger immediately pulled up alongside the Austrian and took the lead ahead of him on the very first lap. The question was, in any case, how the Yamaha rider would manage the nine laps with his shoulder injury. Yesterday’s race had really taken its toll on him in terms of pain. The constant changes in direction had taken a terrible toll on Kofler’s shoulder. But no matter how much it hurt, he had to hang in there to have a chance of defending his Supersport.
The chaotic scramble on the track at the start was completely uncharacteristic of the Supersport. Brenner, who had gotten off to a brilliant start, nearly crashed and was pushed all the way back to ninth place. Meanwhile, Lennox Lehmann (Apreco) had made up several meters and moved into fifth place.
Dirk Geiger's winning streak has come to an end
After four laps, there was an outcry in the MCA pit. Following Rörig, Geiger also crashed. The Mannheim native, who had been leading after four consecutive wins, was forced out of the race. Naturally, Kofler gritted his teeth even harder now and endured even greater pain. The time had come to close the gap in the overall standings.
But eventually, even Kofler ran out of steam when he had to hit the brakes. Daniel Blin was slowly closing in from behind on his AF Racing Ducati and making his presence felt more and more. When Kofler made a major mistake on the penultimate lap, it was an open invitation for Blin to pass the Austrian. Kofler had increasing trouble holding his line, allowing Štěpán Zuda to zoom past him as well. The Czech rider engaged in an extremely entertaining and dramatic duel with Poland’s Daniel Blin all the way to the finish line. Both were determined to win. Zuda had the chance to cap off his home race with a victory, but he briefly lost the front end and nearly crashed.
Geiger is in the running, and Lehmann is back
Kofler finished third and said that a win would have allowed him to close the gap even further in the title race. Despite his crash, Geiger still leads the championship by 24 points, “but a podium finish is still good.” Lennox Lehmann fell just short of that. Nevertheless, the Dresden native—who had been struggling so far this season—was finally on track to finish in the top 5. The round at Most was by far the best of the season for the 19-year-old Yamaha rider. Lehmann has returned to where he belongs. Finally, a look at the Kawasaki camp: For the first time this year, Luca Göttlicher and Valentino Herrlich both made it into the top 10.
IDM Supersport, Race 2
1. Daniel BLIN (POL), Ducati
2. Štěpán ZUDA (CZE), Yamaha
3. Andreas KOFLER (AUT), Yamaha
4. Lennox LEHMANN (DEU), Yamaha
5. Filip FEIGL (CZE), Triumph
6. Luca DE VLEESCHAUWER (BEL), Ducati
7. Melvin VAN DER VOORT (NLD), Ducati
8. Marcel BRENNER (CHE), Ducati
9. Valentino HERRLICH (DEU), Kawasaki
10. Luca GÖTTLICHER (DEU), Kawasaki
11. Ruben BIJMAN (NLD), Honda
12. Richard IRMSCHER (GER), Honda
13. Marvin KREIMES (GER), Ducati
14. Thomas EDER (GER), Ducati
15. Till Benedikt BELCZYKOWSKI (GER), MV Agusta