ADAC Northern Europe Cup: Geiger wraps up Standard title – GP class to be decided in final race

• Dirk Geiger celebrates victory in the rain at Assen and clinches Standard class title
• GP class: Walid Khan Soppe wins race as championship leader is forced to retire
• Second and decisive race on Sunday

Assen: The finals of the 2017 ADAC Northern Europe Cup are being held this weekend in the framework of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship on the 4.55km Grand Prix circuit at Assen in the Netherlands. As a result of the first race, which took place on Saturday in the rain and therefore under extremely difficult conditions, Dirk Geiger (15, GER) retained his Standard class title, while the outcome of the GP category is still to be decided.

Toni Erhard (16, GER) took the lead in the Standard class at the start of the ten-lap first race, but his Kiefer Racing team-mate Dirk Geiger (15, GER) stayed close and got past him on the fourth lap. Thereafter, the ADAC Sports Foundation protégé maintained his rhythm and lead to take the victory. Having now accumulated a total of 206 points, Geiger can no longer be caught and is thus already assured of the championship, with one race still to be contested.

Meanwhile, Erhard had the bad luck to drop out after Lap 5, thus bequeathing the runner-up spot to pole-sitter Luca de Vleeschauwer (15, BEL). Philipp Freitag (20, GER) came home in third place to take his championship points tally to 152. He is currently in second place. Jeffrey Buis (15, NED) finished fourth ahead of Leon Orgis (16, GER), despite straying from the track in spectacular fashion, to notch up valuable points.

At the start of the GP class, Walid Khan Soppe (17, NED) rounded pole-sitter Tim Georgi (17, GER) on the first lap to take the lead. He was followed for most of the race by Sasha de Vits (15, BEL) and Georgi, whose 17-point lead in the general classification had made him favourite to clinch the title as early as Saturday, but a mistake on the final lap meant that the ADAC Sports Foundation protégé came away from the first race empty-handed.

Soppe meanwhile claimed the victory by a margin of eight seconds over de Vits. Kevin Orgis (17, GER), who had a real struggle in qualifying and in the race, had the consolation of taking the last place on the podium. Ernst Dubbink (28, NED) finished fourth. Georgi goes into the final race still leading the championship on 145 points, but Dubbink has crept up to 132 points, while Soppe on 121 points still has a mathematical chance of snatching the title.

The all-important final of the GP class starts on Sunday at 11:30 CEST and will be contested over twelve laps. The eleventh and last race of the 2017 Standard class starts at 14:45 CEST.
Comments from the Top Three

Dirk Geiger (15, GER), winner, ADAC NEC Standard:
“I got off to a really good start. I was able to make good one or two places on the first corner, and then on the long right-hander, I managed to go around some other riders on the outside. After that, I had Toni ahead of me, and I was determined to get on his tail and win the race, which would give me the title. I got past Toni, rode as fast as I could, and suddenly saw on my board that I had a big lead. That’s why I throttled back a bit and went for safety first. The last few laps seemed to go on forever, but it’s just a great feeling. Many thanks to my Kiefer Racing crew, especially to everyone who helped me to get the engine fitted in such a speedy fashion, enabling me to take part in FP2. A big thank you – I am so happy. It always feels indescribably great to win a title.”

Luca de Vleeschauwer (15, BEL), second, ADAC NEC Standard:
“At the start of the race there was a lot of jostling for position going on, and I had problems maintaining my rhythm. Then, two riders ahead of me almost came off their bikes, and that allowed me to gain positions. I was just trying to maintain my lap times and not make any mistakes. I am very happy about the podium – that was a good race in the rain. I’m a rookie this year and I’m on the podium for the second time, so I’m obviously very happy. I hope I can repeat this result tomorrow in the second race.”

Philipp Freitag (20, GER), third, ADAC NEC Standard:
“I had a good start after having to line up quite far back. On the first turn, I was able to gain some positions. After that, I was fairly cautious, especially with not being able to see much through all the water that was being thrown up. Later I got in among the pursuing bunch, and I managed to get past the lot of them. As the race progressed, I was able to close the gap on another rider and get past. After that, I rode the rest of the race on my own in third place and was getting really nervous about not taking a flyer under these difficult conditions. Especially as I was also fast here last year when it was raining and then had a technical issue. So it feels all the better to be back on the podium here in the rain.”

Walid Khan Soppe (17, NED), winner, ADAC NEC GP:
“My start was good, but some of the others also got away well, which meant that it was very busy on the first corner. So at that stage, I was only fifth. Later, two of the British drivers fell back in front of me, but at the same time, I lost touch with the first two. After that, I was riding on my own, but at least I was able to go at a steady pace. I also felt very good on this track in the wet. Although Assen counts as my home track, it’s only the fifth or sixth time I have competed here, so I don’t have any particular advantage.”

Sasha de Vits (15, BEL), second, ADAC NEC GP:
“I had a good start and I tried to gain a few positions. Walid was in front of me and I attempted to catch up with him, but I couldn’t match him for pace. In the end, I finished second, but I’m very happy about that all the same. I know the track at Assen very well, and I’ve always been strong here in the past.”

Kevin Orgis (17, GER), third, ADAC NEC GP:
“I had to start from very far back, because I had a crash at the beginning of qualifying and fractured a bone in my left foot. Fortunately, the doctor cleared me to compete. Changing gear was not so bad, but the seating position was difficult. My start was not quite optimal, but I was able to recover the situation when I braked for the first corner. I then overtook one opponent after another over the course of the next few laps to make further progress through the field. I am extremely satisfied with third place. During the race I could hardly see what was going on because my visor was so fogged and I could hardly read my pit board. Now I’m hoping that I can work on my foot, so that tomorrow’s race goes even better.”