ADAC NEC Standard overall winner Dirk Geiger

• Seventh title for the ambitious young German
• Five wins and four more podiums on way to success overall
• Dirk Geiger mounts successful title defence

Assen: Wearing start number 1 on his racing leathers, Dirk Geiger (15, GER) shot up the field into P2 on the first lap. Steady rain made conditions worse at Assen’s 4.555-km grand prix circuit in the Netherlands. He refused to give up, though, and overtook Kiefer Racing team-mate Toni Erhard (16, GER) on the fourth lap and then upped his pace yet again to take the win with a lead of 12.739 seconds after ten laps and become champion for the second time in the Standard class of the ADAC Northern Europe Cup.

“I’m overwhelmed. Whilst this is now my seventh title, you can never really begin to describe the feeling and it’s always the same. Many thanks to the guys in the team, all my sponsors and my family, because without them, I wouldn’t be here today,” said the new/former champion with big beaming smiles all over his face. Having secured his seventh title, the 15-year-old can now relax after an action-packed finale and let his successes speak for themselves.

Geiger has stormed his way up to the top of the ADAC Northern Europe Cup from the ADAC Pocket Bike Cup via the ADAC Mini Bike Cup and the ADAC Junior Cup powered by KTM. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé first sat on a motorcycle aged three-and-a-half. “My father used to ride, and I was mad keen to have a go as well, so I posted my first few laps on a pocket bike in the schoolyard.”

It wasn’t long before he was taking part in competitions and achieving success. He took two titles in the ADAC Pocket Bike Cup in his first two years and another title in the entry-level class of the ADAC Mini Bike Cup, but the top rung of the podium in the Junior class did not come his way immediately in 2013. However, he quickly made up for that after finishing fourth overall. The title followed, as did a move up to the ADAC Junior Cup powered by KTM, another overall success and the subsequent move to the ADAC Northern Europe Cup.

Geiger had a quiet year in his first season in Moto3 with the award of ADAC Junior Motor Sports Person of the Year in 2015, but everyone was watching the outstanding young talent. Geiger: “To be honest, I was very surprised to take the Standard title in my very first year, which increased my expectations this season – I wanted to defend my title at all costs, for sure.”

Title defence made more difficult

Geiger has found the best environment, in which to achieve success with Kiefer Racing Team. He started the season with three consecutive victories, took two more podium places at Donington Park and then won again at the Sachsenring. “That was definitely my best race, because everything just came together,” said the talented junior, looking back to the German Grand Prix.

However, he had a really tough time during the next race weekend and was not at all happy with his performance, as he tells us: “Things simply didn’t go well for me in Brno. It felt like I wasn’t concentrating 100 per cent, which was most odd and is something that I still cannot really explain even today.” However, he limited the damage by finishing fourth and returned to the podium in the very next round at Silverstone with a P3 and a P2 and then went on to secure his second medal in the ADAC NEC just a few weeks later in the first race of the final weekend.

Intensive training and big plans

Geiger also works hard at school alongside his racing commitments. “I’m really thankful that my teachers are so understanding and give me time off to go racing. I always make up for what I’ve missed as soon as possible.” He spends his leisure time working out and has engaged the services of a top trainer to help him this year.

Geiger: “I go regularly to the gym, which I think is very important and have stepped up a gear in recent years where training is concerned. I’ve got a new physiotherapist, who has begun advising me just recently, giving me tips to help me get in better shape for races. I’m going to be very busy over the winter, so as to be perfectly prepared for the new season.”

It’s hard to say what form his sporting commitments will take in 2018, but he has big plans: “I aim to end up in MotoGP at some point and intend to work hard to fulfil my ambition.” He will be taking his first step in the right direction in a very short time. Supported by Dorna Sports SL, he will line up in the last two races of the Junior World Championship at Aragon and Valencia. The young teenager has been invited to the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup’s selection meeting there this October and will soon be getting his stuff together.