ADAC Northern Europe Cup: Another highlight on its way under MotoGP banner

• Lining up again alongside MotoGP: From the Sachsenring to Brno
• Geiger intends to win once more in Standard category
• Changes to line-up in Grand Prix class

Munich/Brno: The 2017 ADAC Northern Europe Cup is full of highlights. Following on from their fourth meeting in conjunction with the MotoGP at the Sachsenring before the summer break, the junior riders are now heading to join the big stars once again for the Czech Grand Prix at Brno this weekend (4th - 6th August).

The first ADAC NEC qualifying session will take place on Friday afternoon at 12:35 pm to be followed by a second session at 5:50 pm which will decide grid positions for the seventh race of the season. The race itself will get under way on Saturday at 7:00 pm over twelve laps of the 5.403-kilometre GP course.

Standard class: Geiger well prepared after practice

Dirk Geiger (15, GER) leads the standings in the ADAC NEC Standard class, having taken four wins from six races so far. The ADAC Sports Foundation rider has racked up 132 points in all and is well prepared for the next round. “I’ve already ridden at Brno,” said the reigning Standard class champion. “The circuit itself is really great, basically.”

Geiger added: “However, the Brno track is quite bumpy, which wasn’t a problem last time out at the Sachsenring thanks to the fresh asphalt there. Also, the track layout is completely different, but I shan’t have any problems adjusting, on the whole.” The 15-year-old can hardly wait for this seventh race of the season. “I’ve prepared myself really well, both physically and mentally and will try to win again there.”

But his rivals are hard on his heels, refusing to let go. Philipp Freitag (20, GER), who won two races at Silverstone in the UK, is second with 97 points and wants to draw level again following a tough weekend at the Sachsenring. Toni Erhard (16, GER) in third place overall with 89 points is also within striking distance. Leon Orgis (16, GER) on 70 points and local rider Oliver König (15, CZE) with 63 points are next in the standings.

GP class: Georgi will have to miss the meeting

Tim Georgi (17, GER) has already won five of the six races in the GP class during 2017 and heads the standings with 125 points. However, the ADAC Sports Foundation protégé will have to forego valuable points this weekend, as he will be contesting the Moto3 World championship on a wild card. The regulations do not allow him to line up in the ADAC Northern Europe Cup in parallel, so as to prevent him gaining an advantage on his fellow competitors in the GP category.

Georgi’s Freudenberg Racing team-mate, Walid Khan Soppe (17, NED) finds himself in a similar situation. He has consistently achieved good results in the last few races and is second in the GP rankings with 96 points, followed by Kevin Orgis (17, GER) on 93. They are both of contesting the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup this season, and like Georgi, are not allowed to participate in the ADAC NEC race, giving their rival, Jan-Ole Jähnig (16, GER), a free run. Jähnig booked his first pole position at the Sachsenring, is fourth with 87 points and can’t wait to secure his maiden podium in the ADAC Northern Europe Cup.