A familiar face will be competing in the EURO MOTO Sportbike class this weekend. Jeffrey Buis (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) is using the summer break in the World Championship to make a guest appearance at Assen as part of the EURO MOTO series. For the Dutch rider, it’s also the perfect opportunity to rack up some race kilometers on his home track.
Buis is not only very familiar with the TT Circuit Assen, but also with the EURO MOTO paddock. In the past, the World Championship rider competed for Team Freudenberg in the IDM Supersport 300 class for several years. He is currently competing in the Sportbike World Championship, which is, however, currently on a long summer break. The season will resume in early September after a hiatus of about three months.
Instead of sitting idle, Buis is therefore using the race weekend for training. It was already clear on Friday morning that he didn’t just want to do a few leisurely laps on his Suzuki GSX-8R. In the first free practice session, the Dutch rider immediately set the fastest lap time of 1:46.055 minutes, putting him right at the front of the pack. In the second practice session, he finished in second place behind leader Stepan Zuda.
ERC Bids Farewell to the Season
While Buis is bolstering the starting grid at Assen, three Kawasaki riders who had caused quite a stir at Oschersleben are missing. The ERC team, consisting of Sasha de Vits, Jules Bercot, and substitute rider Felix Kauertz, is no longer competing.
And yet the team had just made a strong comeback at Oschersleben after a long hiatus. Bercot finished on the podium in the first race, and de Vits was even in contention for the win on Sunday. However, a setback followed . After the second race, both Bercot and de Vits were retroactively disqualified.
It is now clear that ERC will not be competing in the remaining race weekends of the season either. The team has withdrawn from EURO MOTO. The exact reasons for the decision have not yet been disclosed.
A minor accident during practice
Micky Winkler (WSC Racing) will also be absent this weekend in Assen. The Schleiz native had to cancel his start at the last minute after crashing while riding his bike during practice this week.
“It’s nothing serious, but I just can’t put any weight on my arm right now,” Winkler explains when asked. A lengthy break isn’t expected, though. The Aprilia rider plans to be back on the starting grid for the next race weekend at the Nürburgring.
The Sportbike class will kick off its first race on Saturday. The first race can be watched live and for free via the EURO MOTO livestream at 3:30 p.m. On Sunday, the riders will compete in the second round at 2:00 p.m.