SPB: Zuda Wins the Title, Bijman Takes the One-Two

Stepan Zuda is the new EURO MOTO Sportbike champion. In the final race of the season, a third-place finish was enough for the Czech rider to clinch the title. Ruben Bijman took the win once again, ahead of guest starter Daniel Mogeda. A mere 0.004 seconds separated Mogeda and Zuda at the finish line. Tobias Kitzbichler finished fourth, securing third place in the overall standings.

Zuda (Freudenberg Paligo Racing) got off to the best start, but knew full well that he didn’t need to go all out this Sunday. While Bijman (Freudenberg RORA PALIGO Racing) took the lead and immediately set a fast pace, the championship leader drove more cautiously at first. For Bijman, the situation was simpler. He had nothing to lose and had to go all in. Zuda, on the other hand, had to make sure he crossed the finish line above all else.

Behind Bijman, Tobias Kitzbichler (ViVa by Peuker & Streeb) and Daniel Mogeda (RT Motorsports Honda) were initially right in the thick of the action. The field was bunched up tightly, and Zuda temporarily dropped back to sixth place. By the midpoint of the race, however, he had found his rhythm again. “At the start of the race, I first watched how the group was behaving and didn’t want to rush anything. Little by little, I found my rhythm, was able to pick up my pace again, and eventually broke away from the group. After that, the race felt almost like a fairy tale to me,” explained Zuda.

Bijman Seals the One-Two Finish

Up front, Bijman didn’t put a foot wrong. The Dutchman set the pace and won after 13 laps with a lead of 2.506 seconds. Following his victory on Saturday, he thus secured a one-two finish at Hockenheim.
Bijman was in particularly strong form during the second half of the season and once again made the difference with his driving skills in the finale. In the end, however, it wasn’t enough to clinch the title. “I really found my groove, especially after the summer break, and was able to show what I’m capable of. But Stepan did a great job and made hardly any mistakes throughout the entire season. I’m very happy with this season and am already looking forward to next year,” said Bijman.

The fastest lap of the race, however, went to the new champion. Zuda clocked a time of 1:31.441 on lap eight. Bijman's fastest lap was 1:31.546.

A photo finish for second place

Behind Bijman, it got really tight again in the final meters. Mogeda overtook Zuda just before the finish line and secured second place by a razor-thin margin of 0.004 seconds. For the Spaniard, it was a successful conclusion to his test weekend on the Honda CBR600RR. “I’m very happy with the weekend and with the test on the Honda. It was a lot of fun to ride here and gain experience on the bike. I’d like to thank my team for giving me the opportunity to ride here,” said Mogeda.

After finishing on the podium on Saturday, Kitzbichler narrowly missed the top three this time, placing fourth. Nevertheless, the Austrian capped off a strong season by finishing third in the overall standings.

Mika Siebdrath (Freudenberg Paligo Racing) had a tough Sunday during his first race weekend at the Hockenheimring. After the first few laps, he was unable to keep up with the pace of the leading group and ultimately finished the race in seventh place.

Zuda Caps Off His Season

For Zuda, third place was more than enough in the end. After a season in which he also had to contend with a hand injury at one point, he was crowned the 2026 EURO MOTO Sportbike Champion at Hockenheim. “The entire season was great. Even my hand injury didn’t stop us from consistently performing really well. I look back on this year with great gratitude and would like to thank everyone who supported me along the way.”

And so the 2026 Sportbike season comes to a close with Zuda as the champion, Bijman as his closest rival, and Kitzbichler in third place overall.

EURO MOTO Sportbike, Race 2