Just one point separates league leader Daniel Blin from his closest rival, Dirk Geiger. Can the Polish Ducati rider hold onto his lead? The first race in the EURO MOTO-Supersport class at the TT Circuit Assen takes place this afternoon—and Blin has a problem. So does Geiger, though. And the other competitors sense their chance.
In theory, Ducati rider Blin qualified for fourth place on the grid. In practice, however, the Automarket AF Racing Team’s star rider dropped three spots, landing him in the third row. The reason: Blin exceeded the speed limit in the pit lane during the second qualifying session this morning. The grid penalty is the consequence of that infraction.
Dirk Geiger (Apreco-Yamaha) skipped the second qualifying session. It was raining, and under those conditions, no rider could have improved their time anyway. The rider from Hesse had already secured a comfortable lead in the first qualifying session, taking pole position with a 0.439-second advantage. His problem: That won’t help him in the first race of the weekend. In that race, he’ll have to start from the pit lane. Geiger is already racing with his third engine of the season. The new engine was installed in the Yamaha YZF-R9 for the second race at Oschersleben. Now it’s Geiger’s turn once again to work his way up from the back of the pack on the 890 cm³ CP3 three-cylinder.
Luca Göttlicher (LJ Racing) and Lennox Lehmann (Apreco-Yamaha) also put themselves in the best possible light on the front row of the grid. After the free practice sessions, the MV Agusta rider set out to be four-tenths of a second faster in qualifying and promptly raced to second place on the grid. Like Geiger, Göttlicher chose not to take to the track during the wet second qualifying session.
Lehmann, on the other hand, wanted to gain some experience in wet conditions “and see where we stand with the setup. Now we’re a little better prepared in case it rains at the Nürburgring or at the season finale at Hockenheim.”
At MCA, team boss Stefan Schmidt sent his entire Honda crew—Marvin Siebdrath, Julius Caesar Rörig, and Julius Ahrenkiel-Frellsen—out onto the wet track. Every kilometer counts. The fact is that none of the current MCA riders can match the successes of former team rider Dirk Geiger. Geiger was in a class of his own. Schmidt points out, however, that all manufacturers have made progress and that the successful Honda CBR 600 RR has reached its limits. The manufacturer has announced a new model for 2028. Schmidt considers it very likely, however, that Siebdrath will make it onto the podium this year. The Saxon has already finished fourth twice.
EURO MOTO Supersport, Qualifying
1. Dirk GEIGER (GER/Yamaha)
2. Luca GÖTTLICHER (GER/MV Agusta)
3. Lennox LEHMANN (GER/Yamaha)
4. Daniel BLIN (POL/Ducati)
5. Marvin SIEBDRATH (GER/Honda)
6. Luca DE VLEESCHAUWER (BEL/Yamaha)
7. Filip FEIGL (CZE/Yamaha)
8. Julius AHRENKIEL-FRELLSEN (DNK/Honda)
9. Filip NOVOTNÝ (CZE/Ducati)
10. Freddie HEINRICH (GER/Kawasaki)
11. Julius Caesar RÖRIG (GER/Honda)
12. Jorke ERWIG (GER/Ducati)
13. Max STAUFFER (AUS/Yamaha)
14. Marvin KREIMES (GER/Ducati)
15. Peter FEIGL (CZE/Yamaha)
16. Juho KANTOLA (FIN/Ducati)