- Geiger secures 50 of 50 available points in Standard class
- GP category: Georgi beats team-mate
- Second and third races of the season at Oschersleben
Oschersleben: In temperatures approaching 20 degrees, the ADAC Northern Europe Cup riders staged their second and third races of the season in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben on Sunday under the banner of the Endurance World Championship. Dirk Geiger (14, GER) won both his races in the Standard class while Tim Georgi (16, GER) secured one close and one easy victory in the GP class.
Geiger extends lead in Standard class
Having secured pole position in the Standard class, Geiger continued to push at the start of the first race. In his class, he led every lap despite a lot of pressure from rivals in pursuit. Oliver König (15, CZE) finished second with a deficit of only two tenths. Toni Erhard (16, GER) took third place, and just like Geiger, was again on the podium following his success in the opener at Assen. Simon Jespersen (15, DEN) took fourth place from Philipp Freitag (19, GER).
In the second race, Geiger had a tough scrap with Jespersen and König, who did not want to let the reigning Standard class champion go by. In the end, though, the ADAC Sports Foundation protégé overtook and also won the second round. Jespersen had to be content with second place, and König was third, followed by Erhard, who just missed the podium. Freitag again completed the Top Five.
After three wins in the first three races, Geiger now leads with 75 points overall. Erhard on 49 points is in second place. König climbs up into third place with 38 points after his strong showing this weekend at Oschersleben.
GP class: Freudenberg pair in thrilling battle
Walid Khan Soppe (17, NED) had secured pole position, but Freudenberg Racing team-mate Georgi took the lead in the first race. They both fought hard for P1 at the head of the field. Georgi finally emerged from the scrap victorious. Soppe in second place followed the ADAC Sports Foundation protégé home with a deficit of a mere 0.182 seconds. ADAC NEC rookie Jan-Ole Jähnig (16, GER) completed the party on the podium. The winner at Assen, Ernst Dubbink (28, NED), placed fourth. Kevin Orgis (17, GER) was fifth.
Georgi set a faster pace in the second race and drew away from his rivals with every successive lap to finally win the second race by more than 14 seconds. Soppe was again second, finishing in front of Jähnig, the current championship runner-up in the ADAC Junior Cup powered by KTM. Kevin Orgis and Sasha de Vits (15, BEL) completed the Top Five in the GP class.
Georgi on 50 points now goes into the lead in the overall standings. Jähnig, who has consistently scored points since his first ADAC NEC race in Assen, is in second place with 45 points, followed by Kevin Orgis on 44.
The ADAC NEC riders will contest the fourth of eleven races next weekend, returning to ride under the banner of the World Superbike at Donington Park in the UK (26th - 28th May).
Comments from the winners
Dirk Geiger (14, GER), winner, ADAC NEC Standard:
“My start in the first race was pretty good. The GP drivers were soon up and away, and I tried to stay with them, which didn’t quite work out. I found it difficult to keep up with them at first, and then towards the middle of the race, Simon caught up with me, and we had a terrific scrap. Towards the end, I could see from my pit board that the others were closing, so I tried to give it my all once more. I was quite satisfied with my result when it was all over. I was obviously even happier with another win this afternoon in the Standard class. I’ve had a really good start to the season so far and hope that it continues. The initial stages of the second race were very similar. Simon and Oliver closed on me during the race, and we had a superb scrap for the podium. It was much more difficult to maintain position in the second race, because they both pushed hard and were constantly harrying me. Fortunately, I was able to strike back.”
Tim Georgi (16, GER), Winner, ADAC NEC GP:
“I got a really good start in the first race and went straight into the lead. I then tried to find a good rhythm but saw after a few laps that my two Freudenberg Racing team-mates were right behind me. I tried to remain calm and focus on what was up ahead. They made a couple of attempts at overtaking after a few laps, but I managed to stay in front and defend my lead to the finish line. I’m very happy and even had to brush away a tear in the Parc Fermé, because I was very emotional after winning this extremely competitive race. My start in the second race was considerably better. Also, my overall feel for the bike was amazing, and I was much faster, which is why I was able to take the lead. I just concentrated on posting consistently fast lap times right to the end. All in all, this weekend has been fantastic. I’m very happy and would like to thank the team, my sponsors and family.”