ADAC Northern Europe Cup hails new winners at Oschersleben

• Two breathtaking races in the framework of German Speedweek
• Simon Jespersen and Kevin Orgis win one race each in the Standard class
• GP category: Ernst Dubbink and Johanna Innerfors on top rung of podium

Oschersleben: The ADAC Northern Europe Cup returned from its summer break to sweltering conditions as the second half of the season got underway at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. The Standard and GP class riders contested two hard-fought races on Sunday. Simon Jespersen (15, DEN) and Ernst Dubbink (27, NED) emerged triumphant from the first moto in their respective classes, while Kevin Orgis (16, GER) and Johanna Innerfors (21, SWE) took the honours in Race 2.

Jespersen unstoppable in first race

Jespersen got off to a brilliant start from pole position in the first of the two races, seizing the lead on the first turn of the 3.67km Oschersleben circuit, which he then defended for the 17 exhausting laps that followed. The Dane crossed the finish line 11.635 seconds ahead of the pursuing pack who had engaged in a ferocious battle for position with plenty of overtaking.

Orgis ultimately prevailed to take the runner-up spot. Just 0.255 seconds behind came ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Dirk Geiger (14, GER) to claim the remaining podium place. Matthias Meggle (16, GER) had to settle for fourth after running second for much of the race. Sander Kroeze (14, NED) completed the Top Five.

Meanwhile, Ernst Dubbink (27, NED) was securing victory in the GP class. The experienced Dutch rider took the flag 3.58 seconds behind Jespersen to claim second place overall and score 25 vital points towards the overall championship. Maximilian Kofler (16, AUT) took second place in the Grand Prix category. Innerfors completed the podium party.

Maiden win for Kevin Orgis; Geiger holds on to championship lead

GP rider Dubbink came off his bike at the start of the second race, causing a restart. Early on after the restart, Jespersen, Meggle, Geiger, Kevin Orgis and Philipp Freitag (19, GER) formed a five-man group which then engaged in a battle royal over the next 15 laps. The five Standard class riders did each other no favours and were repeatedly pulling off passing moves.

After 15 extremely tough laps in sweltering conditions, Kevin Orgis came out on top to claim a maiden victory. Just 0.09 seconds behind the Kiefer Racing rider was Jespersen, and beaten into third by an equally narrow margin of 0.077 seconds was Geiger. Freitag missed out on the podium in fourth place, followed by Kroeze who took fifth after Meggle was forced to retire on the last lap with a mechanical fault.

Geiger continues to lead the overall standings in the Standard classification on 117 points ahead Jespersen whose points haul on Sunday takes him up to 104 and second place. Kevin Orgis is now third on 96 points, closely followed by Meggle on 94 and Freitag on 88.

After Dubbink retired, Kofler was also forced to end his race prematurely. Consequently, Innerfors was the only remaining GP rider at the finish line. The speedy lady from Sweden scored 25 points in the second race which takes her three places higher in the championship table.

Following his victory in the morning race, Dubbink still leads the GP class on 103 points, well clear of current runner-up Jason Dupasquier (14, SUI) who was unable to compete this weekend due to injury. Tim Georgi (16, GER) on 75 points is in third place ahead of Innerfors on 74. Kofler completes the Top Five with a points total of 60.

Comments from the winners

Simon Jespersen (15, DEN), winner Race 1, ADAC NEC Standard:
“I started really well and that was the plan. Then I just tried to maintain the same pace, because I knew from qualifying that I can go half a second faster than the others here. I don’t really know why, but towards the end of the race, I was making a lot of mistakes. I think it may have been because of the heat and the fact that I’m not fully fit. But the race was still really good. I was able to notch up my first victory, and I’m really happy about that. I hadn’t expected it. I hope that the second race goes equally well.”

Kevin Orgis (16, GER), winner Race 2, ADAC NEC Standard:
“In the first race, my start wasn’t too good. We were having difficulties keeping up with Simon. Then we found ourselves in a group of five which scrapped with each other right through to the end. Ultimately, I came out top in this group and took second place. In the second race, we first had to do a restart. I didn’t get away very well first time, so I benefited from that. I went into the first corner in the lead. The race against Dirk and Simon was a very, very tough encounter, but in the end I saw them both off and took the win. Although the conditions were really hard, we had a lot of fun. While you’re riding your bike, you don’t notice the heat so much. That hits you after the race. I managed to score my first victory, and I’m delighted about that.”

Ernst Dubbink (27, NED), winner Race 1, ADAC NEC GP:
“I started the race from relatively far back in fifth because I had not been strong enough on Friday and Saturday. My start was OK and I was in second place coming out of the first corner, but Matthias Meggle then got past me on Turn 3. It then took me almost a lap to catch up with him again. We fought a strong battle, which allowed Simon Jespersen to sail away in front of us. The margin stayed more or less same for the rest of the race. Sometimes he was faster and sometimes slower. It was the same for me. I was unable to keep up with him, but I still came away with victory in the GP class. From a championship perspective, that’s really good, because I’ve managed to close the gap by 25 valuable points. But I’m not thinking about the title – I’m just taking each race as it comes and aiming to win every time.”

Johanna Innerfors (21, SWE), winner Race 2, ADAC NEC GP:
“In the second race, I had a really good battle with my team-mate, and that was a lot of fun. My bike is faster on the straights, so I got past her relatively easily. In the end, I was the only rider in the GP class to get to the finish line, so I was the winner. That’s a great feeling. I’m really happy.”