ADAC Northern Europe Cup: Freitag and Georgi double winners at Donington Park

• Philipp Freitag prevails by narrow margin in Standard class
• Tim Georgi wins again in GP thriller
• Dirk Geiger extends lead in Standard class on WorldSBK weekend

Donington Park: After the first of two races in the ADAC Northern Europe Cup was contested in cool and windy conditions on Saturday, the sun returned to the Superbike World Championship weekend at Donington Park Circuit on Sunday to provide ideal conditions for Race 2. Philipp Freitag (19, GER) and Tim Georgi made best use of them.

In the Standard class, pole-sitter Leon Orgis (15, GER) got off to a cracking start and initially dictated the pace. But on the sixth lap, Philipp Freitag (19, GER) seized the lead which, despite heavy pressure from behind, he clung on to through to the end. Having already won Race 1 on Saturday, Freitag emerged triumphant once again. At the end of the 14-lap race, Orgis had to make do with the runner-up spot by the narrow margin of 0.324 seconds.

On the opening laps, ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Dirk Geiger (14, GER) was hot on the heels of fellow Kiefer Racing rider Orgis but was overtaken by Freitag on Lap 6. After challenging Orgis for second place, he ultimately had to settle for the final podium spot, taking the chequered flag 0.670 seconds after Orgis. Simon Jespersen (15, DEN) and Toni Erhard (16, GER) completed the Top Five.

Geiger’s two P3 finishes were enough to extend his championship lead. After five of the eleven races in the 2017 season, the 14-year-old Standard class title holder has 107 points to his credit. At the end of this third event of the campaign, Freitag moves up from P4 to P2 on 87 points, thanks in no small part to his double victory at Donington. Erhard is third on 73 points.

In the GP class, Walid Khan Soppe (17, NED) held the lead for several laps, but his Freudenberg Racing team-mate Tim Georgi (16, GER) got past on Lap 5. Thereafter, the ADAC Sports Foundation protégé systematically consolidated the lead, eventually crossing the finish line 4.764 seconds ahead of runner-up Soppe.

Guest starter Asher Durham (18, GBR) also made it onto the podium, just 0.580 seconds behind Soppe. Although last year’s ADAC Junior Cup powered by KTM runner-up Jan-Ole Jähnig (16, GER) missed out on a podium appearance by 1.014 seconds, he still comes away with the 16 points for third place, as Durham’s result does not count towards the championship. Kevin Orgis (17, GER) finished fourth, followed by Sasha de Vits (15, BEL).

With this fourth victory of the 2017 season, Georgi continues to lead the GP class on 100 points. In second place is his team-mate Soppe on 85 points. Kevin Orgis is currently third in the standings on 77 points, with Jähnig not far behind on 74.

After a short break, the ADAC Northern Europe Cup returns for the sixth round of the 2017 season as part of the MotoGP weekend at the Sachsenring (30th June - 2nd July).

Comments from the Top Three

Philipp Freitag (19, GER), winner, ADAC NEC Standard:
“Once again, my start today was far from ideal, and I had to wait a bit for the GP riders to sort themselves out. As a result, I was around one and a half seconds behind Dirk and Leon. First of all, I had to assert myself in the pursuing group, after which I proceeded to close the gap. I was lapping a second faster today than yesterday, and I immediately noticed that the conditions were much better. I overtook Dirk and Leon on the same lap and tried to get away, but I was unable to shake them off. On the last lap, I once again had to go flat out to ensure that Leon did not get past. I’m now feeling ecstatic about having secured this double win. I am grateful to my team and everyone who helped me.”

Leon Orgis (15, GER), second, ADAC NEC Standard:
“Today, I got off to a good start again and was first into Turn 1. I managed to hold on to the lead for a couple of laps. Then Philipp and Dirk closed the gap and the pair of them overtook me almost simultaneously. But I was able to keep up with them, and when I got the position back off Dirk, Philipp and I opened up a bit of a gap. I was planning to wait until the final lap before attacking Philipp, but when I attempted it, I found that he was simply too strong on the day and that there was nothing more I could do. I’m still very satisfied with second place, because that represents a further 20 crucial points towards the championship.”

Dirk Geiger (14, GER), third, ADAC NEC Standard:
“Today’s race wasn’t as good as yesterday’s. I don’t know what was wrong with me today – things just didn’t go as I had expected. I had problems with the front wheel and was hardly able do anything about it. Third place brings in some points, but I cannot be satisfied with my performance today. I will now give it everything I’ve got at the Sachsenring to make up for those lost points.”

Tim Georgi (16, GER), winner, ADAC NEC GP:
“Today was a lot more tense than yesterday in the first race, but that was actually only because I messed up the start again. On the first few laps, I was unable to get past one of the British riders. Then an opponent came past the two of us and immediately misbraked. This meant that the others had to open up, which allowed me through to the front. I gradually managed to open up a gap and I was setting consistently good lap times – they were much better today thanks to the good conditions and the lack of wind. I’m delighted about this double victory – it’s a great feeling. I’m slowly returning to my previous form, and things are getting better and better.”

Walid Khan Soppe (17, NED), second, ADAC NEC GP:
“All in all, that was a good race. On the first few laps I was out ahead, but then an opponent misbraked. He went past four other guys and forced me off the track. That enabled Tim to get through and to sail off into the distance. Ultimately, I finished second. I’m content with this outcome. Today was also better than yesterday, especially as I was matching Tim for pace up to this incident. Yesterday, I had an uneasy feeling about my tyre, which robbed me of confidence, but fortunately that returned for the second race.”

Asher Durham (18, GBR), third, ADAC NEC GP:
“In the race, I had a pretty bad start, but I got into a good rhythm, overtook some opponents and found myself ideally placed to challenge for the podium. On the final lap, I got into a scrap with another rider. I got past him early on, and after that he was unable to come back at me. The level of the ADAC Northern Europe Cup is really good – it’s very fast, very tough and, at the same time, most of the guys don’t know the circuit here as well as I do. I’m really amazed!”