Assen: Sportbike spectacle – victories for Ruben Bijman and Tobias Kitzbichler

Race 1 at Assen: Ruben Bijman (Freudenberg RoRa Paligo Racing) celebrated his first victory in front of his home crowd. Guest rider Jeffrey Buis (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) made the race even more spectacular. The Dutchman started from last place and was already in the lead after the first lap. In the end, he was just 0.035 seconds short of victory. Jakob Rosenthaler (RT Motorsports) made a comeback, finishing third on the podium.

World Championship star shines

World Championship rider Buis showed what he was capable of on the first lap. Having failed to meet the qualifying criteria on Saturday morning, he was forced to start the race from the back of the grid. What followed surprised even him. Buis got off to a flying start, was already in fourth place by the fourth corner and actually came back as the leader after the first lap. Sixteen places in just one lap. “I was surprised myself to move so quickly from the very back to the very front after the start. That was a mad first lap,” said Buis. It didn’t get any easier after that, though. “I didn’t have much power on the straights with the Suzuki, but I was able to make up ground time and again in the corners. That was really good.”

A five-man leading group formed at the front, comprising Buis, Bijman, Tobias Kitzbichler (ViVa by Peuker & Streeb), Stepan Zuda (Freudenberg Rora Paligo Racing) and Rosenthaler. Bijman, in particular, was strong on the brakes and repeatedly fended off the attacks. The lead changed hands several times. After Buis, Bijman took the lead first; by the halfway point, Zuda was in front, and shortly afterwards Kitzbichler moved into the lead.

The youngsters are making their mark

Bijman launched the decisive attack on Kitzbichler on the final lap and overtook him. Buis also tried his luck. Kitzbichler fought back, braked late and his motorbike began to wobble. The Austrian managed to avoid a crash, but was forced to swerve onto the grass verge beside the track and dropped back to fifth place.

Bijman seized the opportunity and crossed the line to claim his first victory in the Sportbike class, finishing just 0.035 seconds ahead of Buis. “It felt really good to be leading for a large part of the race. I felt very strong on the bike and realised as early as the third lap that today was really my day. In the end, it turned into a really tough battle once again. That makes it all the more special that I’ve finally managed to secure my first win – and here at home in Assen, too,” said a delighted Bijman.

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Back on the podium

Behind the two Dutch riders, Rosenthaler made a comeback. The Austrian crossed the finish line in third place. He was just 0.425 seconds behind Buis. For Rosenthaler, the podium was particularly important after the difficult weeks he’d been through. “It’s not an easy time getting back to my old form after the injury. At Oschersleben I was still struggling a lot with pain. Unfortunately, this weekend didn’t get off to the best start either, with the two crashes. But to be back on the podium now, despite that, means there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel again,” said the Austrian.

Euro Moto Sportbike, Race 1

Ruben Bijman

Foto: Thorsten Horn

A dramatic finish to Race 2

The second Euro Moto Sportbike race at Assen was a nail-biter right up to the very end. At first, it looked as though Ruben Bijman was set for the perfect home weekend. However, following a frantic finale and a subsequent decision by race control, it was someone else who was left celebrating in the end: Tobias Kitzbichler (ViVa by Peuker & Streeb) celebrated his first win of the season ahead of Ruben Bijman (Freudenberg RORA PALIGO Racing) and his team-mate Stepan Zuda (Freudenberg RORA PALIGO Racing). A mere 0.141 seconds separated the three at the finish line.

Zuda got off to a good start from pole position and took the lead ahead of Bijman and Kitzbichler. For Jakob Rosenthaler (RT Motorsports), however, the race was over as early as the first lap. The Austrian crashed whilst in fourth place and his motorbike skidded across the track. Jeffrey Buis (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) was unable to swerve out of the way, rode over the Triumph and also went down. Both got off lightly, but the race was over for them after that.

Kitzbichler keeps his cool

At the front, a three-way battle quickly developed between Zuda, Bijman and Kitzbichler. All three had been unaffected by Rosenthaler’s crash and were thus able to open up a gap on the chasing pack straight away. Kitzbichler thus found himself sandwiched between the two Freudenberg riders, but confidently withstood the pressure. Time and again, he closed the small gap to Zuda, whilst Bijman, right behind him, was also biding his time for his chance.

The outcome was only decided after the chequered flag

The race went into the final lap with Zuda ahead of Kitzbichler and Bijman. In the final section of the course, events unfolded in rapid succession. Kitzbichler overtook Zuda, but Bijman capitalised on the situation and slipped through as well. Just one bend later, the Dutchman also closed in on Kitzbichler and took the lead. Zuda then capitalised on the Austrian’s loss of momentum and overtook him as well.

Bijman crossed the finish line first and, following his victory on Saturday, appeared to have secured a one-two finish on his home track. “The final lap actually went really well, and things got pretty wild again in the penultimate bend. I must have gone over the track limits there, and I have to accept the decision. Still, it was a brilliant weekend for me. Being on the podium in both races and celebrating my first win on Saturday is something no one can take away from me,” said Bijman.

Plenty to do for race control

The race wasn’t decided as soon as the chequered flag came down. Race control took a closer look at the final lap. Both Bijman and Zuda had exceeded the track limits in the area of turns 17 and 18 and were each demoted by one position. Kitzbichler was the only one of the three to have stayed within the track limits and was therefore subsequently promoted to first place.

For Kitzbichler, it was his long-awaited first win of the season. The Austrian had come very close on several occasions this year. At Assen, it initially looked once again as though victory would slip through his fingers in the final metres. This time, however, the very thing that had proved his undoing on Saturday paid off: in the final corner, he deliberately held back and stayed within the track limits. “I’m really speechless right now. We had a plan before the race and a really good pace, but I didn’t think it would stay so close right up to the end. Actually, I’d already resigned myself to third place. After my mistake yesterday in the final corner, I didn’t want to take too many risks there again today, so I was a bit more cautious. It’s all the more brilliant that this actually paid off in the end and even led to victory,” said Kitzbichler, delighted with his first win of the season.

This means the battle behind championship leader Zuda is also getting really tight. Following the weekend at Assen, Kitzbichler and Bijman are locked in a neck-and-neck battle for second place. Both now have 140 points each and are therefore level on points in the championship.

Euro Moto Sportbike, Race 2