ADAC NEC: Leon Orgis and Georgi set fastest times at Donington Park

• GP class: Tim Georgi secures pole position
• Leon Orgis narrowly ahead in the Standard class
• Fourth and fifth races of the season to be contested in the context of the World Superbike Championship

Donington Park: The British weather smiled on the contestants as the third weekend of the ADAC Northern Europe Cup got underway. As part of the Superbike World Championship at Donington Park, the Moto3 riders basked in mid-summer temperatures as they completed a free practice session followed by qualifying for Rounds 4 and 5 of the season. Leon Orgis (15, GER) and Tim Georgi (16, GER) went on to secure the best positions in the starting line-up.

In the Standard class, it was Leon Orgis who set the pace. The 15-year-old German put in a fastest lap of 01:40.997 in the last few minutes of the session to gain the starting advantage. ADAC Sports Foundation Sport protégé Dirk Geiger (14, GER), who currently leads the standings in this particular category after three victories in the first three races, qualified in P2, 0.356 seconds behind Orgis. Their fellow Kiefer Racing rider Toni Erhard (16, GER) will line up third in the Standard class, after finishing the session 0.427 seconds behind Geiger. Simon Jespersen (15, DEN) and Philipp Freitag (19, GER) start from fourth and fifth respectively.

In the GP class, Tim Georgi (16, GER) dominated the proceedings. The 16-year-old ADAC Sports Foundation Sport protégé set the fastest time (01:39.041 mins) in the entire field of riders to secure pole position. His Freudberg Racing team-mate Walid Khan Soppe (17, NED) qualified in P2, 0.499 seconds adrift, with Kevin Orgis (17, GER) in third. Completing the Top Five are Jan-Ole Jähnig (16, GER) and Sasha de Vits (15, BEL).
 
The fourth race of the 2017 ADAC NEC starts at 17:25 (local time) on Saturday 27th May at Donington Park in the East Midlands and is contested over a distance of 14 laps. The fifth race is scheduled for 16:05 (local time) the following day.
 
Comments from the best qualifiers
 
Leon Orgis (15, GER), fastest, ADAC NEC Standard: 
“Qualifying started off pretty average, because I was having some problems with the rider in front, but I then got past him and was able to improve my lap times. Halfway through the session, I went into the pits to prepare for one final assault, after which I tried to lap the circuit on my own. I gave it full throttle and took every corner without concern for the risks, which was ultimately good enough for P1. I am very pleased about that and would like to thank Robert (my mechanic) and my father and of course the whole Kiefer Racing team. I’ve been here before, but that was two years ago, so that’s not such a big advantage if you’re always competing on other tracks and you then have a completely different bike. I think it’s marvellous that there are so many straights here at Donington Park which allow you to attempt overtaking moves. I’m looking forward to that in the race. My objective for the first race tomorrow is the win.”
 
Tim Georgi (16, GER), fastest, ADAC NEC GP: 
“Overall, things went quite well today. The practice session wasn’t bad either. In qualifying, though, we unfortunately had a defective rear tyre, which meant I wasn’t able to push as hard as I had intended. Even so, we find ourselves first on the grid, so I can hardly complain. I am happy about that. The track is quite interesting, especially the first two sectors, because it’s very fast there. The surface is not outstanding, as it’s quite bumpy, but at the end of the day, the conditions are the same for everyone. In tomorrow’s race, I hope that Walid and I leave the rest behind, just like we did at Oschersleben. We’ll then see what happens in the race. It certainly won’t be easy.”