ADAC Northern Europe Cup heads to Assen for second round

• Second ADAC NEC race weekend as part of World Superbike
• Oliver König travels to Netherlands as leader in Standard class
• Local rider Ernst Dubbink has big ambitions

Munich: The debut weekend of the ADAC Northern Europe Cup at Silverstone has only just finished, and teams and equipment are already moving on to Assen where the second race weekend of the season will take place within the context of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship. The third race of 2016 will be held at the Dutch Grand Prix circuit this weekend (15th-17th April).

Standard: König and Meggle practically neck and neck

Thanks to his third place and win at the ADAC NEC debut in Silverstone, Oliver König (14, CZE) has gone straight into lead in the Standard class before his trip to Assen. “I’ve never raced at Assen before,” he said. “It’s all new to me.” König intends to use Playstation and YouTube videos to learn the circuit and take an initial look at racing lines in preparation for the second race weekend.

“At any rate, I’m really looking forward to the next race,” said the Czech rider with a big smile. “I never thought ahead of the Silverstone weekend that I would be going to Assen as championship leader. This is, after all, my first season on a Moto3 machine. I hope that we can finish back on the podium again in the Netherlands and stay out in front.”

Matthias Meggle (15, DEU) is only one point behind König. The ADAC Sports foundation protégé has already racked up 40 points with two second places at Silverstone and aims to add to his points total in Assen. Philipp Freitag (18, DEU) on 25 points is in third place ahead of Simon Jespersen (14, DEN) on 24 points and Sasha De Vits (14, BEL) with 22 points.

GP: Georgi in the lead, but Dubbink intends to catch up

In the Grand Prix class, Tim Georgi (15, DEU) has a clear lead of 50 points after his double victory in the opener. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé will not be in the line-up at Assen but in Spain, where he will be contesting the Junior World championship. Ernst Dubbink (27, NED) is the clear favourite at his home circuit. On 33 points, the Dutch rider is in second place overall ahead of the second race weekend.

“It’s going to be great riding in Assen, because I know the track really well,” said the local rider, who is expecting a decent scrap. “I hope to fight for the win on home turf. Of course, it’s terrific to line up as part of the World Superbike, especially for our sponsors. There will be huge numbers of fans at the track, which is brilliant for marketing,” said the experienced rider.

While Dubbink aims to secure as many points as possible at the 4.555-km GP circuit, Jason Dupasquier (14, SUI) will also be striving to achieve further success after a double podium at Silverstone. The Swiss teenager is third overall in the GP category on 32 points, followed by Maximilian Kofler (15, AUT) with 24 and Dennis Koopman (18, NED) with 20 points.

The schedule

The second ADAC NEC race weekend in the Netherlands will open with the 20-minute free practice session on Friday, 15th April, at 17:40. Riders in the new series will take part in a 25-minute qualifying session on Saturday at 16:20 to fight for the best positions on the grid in Sunday’s race, the third round of the season, which is over 13 laps and kicks off at 16:05.