The “young guns” of the EURO MOTO Sportbike class kicked off their new season on Saturday at the Sachsenring. It was already clear from the first two qualifying sessions: competition in this class is going to be incredibly tight in 2026. The first pole position of the new era wasn’t secured until the final lap of the second qualifying session at noon.
Ruben Bijman (Freudenberg RORA-PALIGO Racing) has become the first pole-setter in the EURO MOTO Sportbike series. The Dutch rider moved from the IDM Supersport class to the Sportbike class for the 2026 season and was initially cautious on Friday in cool and wet conditions. On Saturday, the 22-year-old then stepped up his pace. In the first qualifying session, he initially secured third place, but in the second session, he made the decisive leap to the top with a time of 1:28.738 minutes on his final flying lap.
“I knew we could be fast and I already expected us to be up front,” Bijman said afterward in the Parc Fermé. “But securing the first pole position of the year is, of course, fantastic.”
For a long time, however, it looked as though Tobias Kitzbichler (ViVa by Peuker & Streeb) would come out on top. The Austrian, who had a successful season in the Northern Talent Cup last year, led for much of the second qualifying session and posted a strong time of 1:28.759 minutes. In the end, he was just 0.021 seconds behind Bijman. The 17-year-old was nevertheless satisfied: “I’m more than happy with the qualifying sessions. I already thought we could compete at the front, but I was pleasantly surprised that the lap times turned out to be so good,” said Kitzbichler.
Stepan Zuda, another rider from the Freudenberg team, secured third place on the front row of the grid. Like Bijman, the Czech rider competed in the IDM Supersport class last year and had even won the first qualifying session, despite it being cut short due to technical issues. In the second qualifying session, he was able to improve slightly with a lap time of 1:28.867 minutes. However, it wasn’t enough to set the fastest time again.
Jakob Rosenthaler (RT Motorsports) will start from the second row in fourth place. The Austrian has impressed so far with consistently fast lap times, both in Friday’s wet practice sessions and in qualifying. Behind him, Germany’s Micky Winkler (WSC-Racing) provided a minor surprise. The former IDM Supersport 300 rider, who has been less active in his motorsport career in recent years, finished in fifth place.
Mika Siebdrath will start from sixth place. The younger brother of former Supersport 300 champion Marvin Siebdrath is now also competing in the junior class. Right behind him is another German rider, Alexander Weizel. Rounding out the top 10 are Luis Rammerstorfer (Freudenberg RoRa-Paligo Racing), Kiyano Veijer (Dutch Talent Racing), and Tom Kuil (RT Motorsports).
Things aren't quite going smoothly yet for Oliver Svendsen (ERC), however. The Dane was considered a title contender heading into the season, but he's still getting used to his new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. The 2024 Supersport 300 champion will start from twelfth position.
The first race of the season kicks off this Saturday afternoon at 3:45 p.m. The second race follows on Sunday at 3:20 p.m. and will be streamed live for free on EURO MOTO.
EURO MOTO Sportbike, Q1 and Q2 Results
- Ruben BIJMAN (#17/NLD), Triumph Daytona 660
- Tobias KITZBICHLER (#38/AUT), Aprilia RS 660
- Stepan ZUDA (#23/CZE), Triumph Daytona 660
- Jakob ROSENTHALER (#78/AUT), Triumph Daytona 660
- Micky WINKLER (#86/GER), Aprilia RS 660
- Mika SIEBDRATH (#98/GER), Triumph Daytona 660
- Alexander WEIZEL (#22/GER), Aprilia RS 660
- Luis RAMMERSTORFER (#13/AUT), Triumph Daytona 660
- Kiyano VEIJER (#53/NLD), Triumph Daytona 660
- Tom KUIL (#55/NLD), Triumph Daytona 660
- Julian VAN KALKEREN (#34/NLD), Triumph Daytona 660
- Oliver SVENDSEN (#69/DNK), Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
- Sasha DE VITS (#19/BEL), Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
- Maksymilian PALMOWSKI (#95/POL), Aprilia RS 660
- Ty HENRIKSEN (#46/DNNK), Aprilia RS 660
- Jules BERCOT (#25/FRA), Kawasaki ZX-6R
- Max STAUFFER (#27/AUS), Yamaha YZF-R7
- Jay-Jay DEN HOED, (#44/NLD), Yamaha YZF-R7
- Magnus KRISTOFFERSEN (#30/DNK), Aprilia RS 660
- Lucas SOERENSEN (#18/DEN), Aprilia RS 660