Ruben Bijman (Freudenberg Paligo Racing) is keeping the EURO MOTO Sportbike title race open until the final race of the season. The Dutch rider won the first race at Hockenheim on Saturday ahead of his teammate and championship leader Stepan Zuda. Tobias Kitzbichler rounded out the podium. Ahead of Sunday’s grand finale, Zuda and Bijman are still separated by 23 points.
Zuda got off to the better start. Starting from second position, the Czech driver passed pole-sitter Bijman and entered the first corner in the lead. Tobias Kitzbichler (ViVa by Peuker & Streeb) kept up and initially moved into second place. But Bijman quickly re-established himself right behind Zuda. The two title contenders set a fast pace at the front and gradually pulled away from the rest of the field.
Bijman Steps It Up
For Bijman, the first part of the race didn’t go as expected. His plan was to break away quickly at the front. However, Zuda had other ideas and held the Dutchman back. “The first part of the race wasn’t easy, since Zuda was riding very strongly. But from the middle of the race on, I was able to maintain my pace and, while in the lead, found my rhythm again. The bike is really strong right now, and I just feel really good on it,” said Bijman.
In the final third of the race, the Dutch driver really opened it up. Zuda stayed close, but with the championship in mind, he also had to keep an eye on the risks. After 13 laps, Bijman won by a margin of 1.512 seconds and celebrated his fourth victory of the season. He also set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:31.717 minutes.
Zuda takes home some important points
Zuda had initially tried to control the race from the front. However, when his tires started to wear out, he didn’t want to put all his eggs in one basket. “I wanted to stay up front from the start and see if I could keep up the pace. When the tires started to wear out, the risk eventually became too great for me. After that, it was about maintaining my pace and not making any unnecessary mistakes. Of course, I was still hoping that Ruben might make a mistake,” Zuda explained. The Czech driver was satisfied with his second-place finish. He dedicated his podium finish to his late best friend, Troy Beinlich. Ahead of the final race of the season on Sunday, Zuda now leads the championship by 23 points over Bijman.
Kitzbichler Struggles with a Loose Visor
Kitzbichler held on to third place, though he had to fend off more than just Tom Kuil (RT Motorsports). Strong winds and a loose visor made things even tougher for him. “It was a difficult race because of the wind. My visor wasn’t locked in properly, so it stayed open. Because of that, there were times when I could barely see. On the last lap, I gave it my all one more time and even set my best time. I’m very happy with third place,” said the Austrian.
With a time of 1:31.724 minutes, he actually set a personal best on the final lap. Kuil followed closely behind in fourth place. Daniel Mogeda (RT Motorsports Honda) finished fifth on the Honda CBR600RR during its test run.
Turbulence in the field
Further back in the field, there were several retirements. Jay-Jay den Hoed (Team SWPN) crashed on lap six and had to withdraw from the race. The Dutch rider was subsequently examined at the medical center and declared unfit for the time being. It therefore remains to be seen whether he will be able to race again on Sunday.
In Lap 9, Maksymilian Palmowski (SP Race Project) and Kyano Schoo (Team SWPN) crashed in front of the East Stand. The race was over for both of them as well. It was a double DNF for the Dutch SWPN team led by Frank Brouwer.
Rick Kooistra (SRTD Pearle Gebben) was initially given a long-lap penalty after a false start. However, he ignored it, which is why he was given a drive-through penalty. After failing to complete that penalty as well, he was shown the black flag and disqualified.
This means the Sportbike title will actually be decided in the very last race of the season. Zuda and Bijman are separated by 23 points heading into Sunday’s finale, which will take place at 12:20 p.m. and can also be watched live via livestream.
EURO MOTO Sportbike, Race 1
- Ruben BIJMAN (#17/NLD), Triumph Daytona 660
- Stepan ZUDA (#23/CZE), Triumph Daytona 660
- Tobias KITZBICHLER (#38/AUT), Aprilia RS660
- Tom KUIL (#55/NLD), Triumph Daytona 660
- Daniel MOGEDA (#G88/ESP), Honda CBR600RR
- Kiyano VEIJER (#53/NLD), Triumph Daytona 660
- Julian VAN KALKEREN (#34/NLD), Triumph Daytona 660
- Mika SIEBDRATH (#98/GER), Triumph Daytona 660
- Ty HENRIKSEN (#46/DNK), Aprilia RS660
- Micky WINKLER (#86/GER), Aprilia RS660
- Luis RAMMERSTORFER (#13/AUT), Triumph Daytona 660
- Magnus KRISTOFFERSEN (#30/DNK), Aprilia RS660
DNF: Kyano SCHOO (#G26/NLD), Yamaha YZF R7
DNF: Maksymilian PALMOWSKI (#95/POL), Aprilia RS660
DNF: Alexander WEIZEL (#22/DEU), Aprilia RS660
DNF: Jay Jay DEN HOED (#44/NLD), Yamaha YZF R7
DNF: Lucas SØRENSEN (#18/DNK), Aprilia RS660
DQ: Rick KOOISTRA (#20/NLD), Triumph Daytona 660