Geiger and Dupasquier are the first champions in the ADAC Northern Europe Cup

• Toni Erhard and Jason Dupasquier win final round
• MotoGP rider presents the winners' trophies at Assen
• GP Class: Jason Dupasquier wins the race and championship

Assen: The grand finale of the 2016 ADAC Northern Europe Cup took place this weekend in Assen under the banner of the British Superbike Championship (September 30th to October 2nd). The first race on Saturday was staged in the rain, but the championship decider took place under cloudy skies and in dry conditions on Sunday afternoon.

It was fairly cool with temperatures of around 13 degrees as Toni Erhard (15, GER) and Jason Dupasquier (15, SUI) took wins in their respective Standard and GP classes. Dupasquier wrapped up the championship in the Grand Prix class with first place. Dirk Geiger (14, GER) rode a defensive race to place fourth in the end and secure the championship title in the Standard category.

The race winners received their trophies from a special guest on Sunday. MotoGP rider Scott Redding was at the race weekend to present trophies to the ADAC NEC winners. He was very impressed with what he'd seen and said after the final round: “That was a really exciting race. What a fantastic series!”

Standard Class: Erhard takes maiden win, Geiger the title

As the grid positions for the second race are determined by the fastest laps from the first round, ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Erhard lined up in fifth place and thus in pole position in the Standard class behind four drivers contesting the British Moto3 championship. The 15-year-old took over the top spot from the first corner and had pulled out a lead on the rest of the field of as much as 5.673 seconds by the finish.

While Erhard secured his maiden victory in the ADAC NEC, Sander Kroeze (14, NED) gradually pushed forwards from grid position 29 to finally take second place on the penultimate lap. Kevin Orgis (16, GER) fought long and hard against the local rider and placed third at the end of the twelve laps.

Geiger rode a defensive race. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé had led the championship before the final round but knew that with a cushion of only 14 points, he needed to secure a good finish in order to win the Standard class. Geiger took the chequered flag in fourth place and ended the season as champion with 166 points, giving the 2015 ADAC Junior Rider of the Year his second title in a row in the ADAC Junior Cup powered by KTM.

Sasha De Vits (14, BEL) was fifth, followed by Simon Jespersen (15, DEN), who was beaten in the battle for the title with a points total of 147. Philipp Freitag (19, GER) finished seventh in the final race, thus securing third place overall.

Dupasquier wraps up GP win and secures title

After his GP win in the first race on Saturday, Dupasquier had to start from twelfth position. The Swiss rider led over the first few laps until Ernst Dubbink (27, NED) took the lead on the seventh lap. However, he retired with two laps to go after making a mistake. Dupasquier rode a clean race to the end and not only took his third win of the season but also lifted the title in the GP class with a total of 147 points.

Maximilian Kofler (16, AUT) bagged second place. Johanna Innerfors (21, SWE) had problems getting her machine to fire up at the start and so, had to line up in the pit lane. The Swedish rider gave her all over the twelve laps of the race to finally finish third and achieve another podium.

Dubbink was beaten at his home track in the battle for the title after a tough weekend and had to settle for second place with 123 points overall. Having ridden consistently well all season, Innerfors is in third place overall in the standings on 119 points.

Comments from the Top Three

Toni Erhard (15, GER), Winner, ADAC NEC Standard:
“My grid slot was really good. I got away extremely well off the line and was first in the Standard class into the first turn. I tucked in behind the British GP riders and was towed along by them. That worked out well for me. I was five seconds up on Sander in the end and am very happy about that. I'm really pleased. That was the perfect end to the season. My team have done a great job all year. I hope things continue like this next year. Big thanks also go to my sponsors and my family, without whom none of this here today would have been possible.”

Sander Kroeze (14, NED), second, ADAC NEC Standard:
“I started from 25th place overall on the grid, so it was really hard to push up the field and finish on the podium. But now I'm second and am very happy. We had a tough fight. I had to block Kevin in the corners in order to stay ahead, because I had no chance down the straights. So, I finally made it into second place and am very pleased with the result.”

Kevin Orgis (16, GER), third, ADAC NEC Standard:
“I got a pretty poor grid position after yesterday's bad luck in the race. 39th place was not all that brilliant. My start was relatively good. I've had problems with them the whole season, but it went really well today. I couldn't push forwards to begin with, because of the pack of riders in front of me, but then I got into a good position and gradually moved forwards. Over the last few laps, I fought with Sander, who performed some pretty aggressive manoeuvres. I'm very happy with third place, especially in view of the fact that I had to start so far back. At this point, I would like to thank our team once again for their hard work throughout the year. Everything has worked out just great. Without my sponsors and my family, it would not have been possible for me to be here today, many thanks to everyone.”

Jason Dupasquier (15, SUI), Winner, ADAC NEC GP:
“I had a good race yesterday, but my grid position today was not great, plus, my start was really bad. I had no grip at the rear wheel and couldn't do much about it. Then Ernst came past me, and I hit back. We had a good scrap. I won in the end, which is great. This season has been great, only at the Lausitzring did things not go too well for me, but my first Moto3 season has been really terrific. I'm so happy.”

Maximilian Kofler (16, AUT), second, ADAC NEC GP:
“My start was quite good. I was in a large group that gradually broke up, so I rode on my own again for quite a long while, just like in the first race. I was in second place after Ernst had retired, which made me really pleased. My first season on the road was perfect. I'm very happy with the end result.”

Johanna Innerfors (21, SWE), third, ADAC NEC GP:
“My bike wouldn't crack up for the warm-up lap, so I had to start the race from the pit lane. Then I just thought to myself, it's all or nothing. I had to take a gamble, because I was so annoyed. I was able to overtake three riders and pass another one a few laps before the end. The race was very tough. The others in the lead just sped off and were gone. I really gave it everything and didn't realise that I'd placed third in the end. That's just great and a very nice way to finish a fantastic season.”