Euro Moto Sportbike: Tobias Kitzbichler – new talent from Austria

Austrian rider Tobias Kitzbichler made a very strong start to the Euro Moto season at the Sachsenring, securing a second and a third place in the Sportbike category, and left Saxony in second place in the standings. Over the Brno weekend, despite securing another podium finish – third in the first race – he slipped to fourth place in the standings and had set his sights high once again for Most. For the races at the Autodrom, held in extreme heat, he qualified in third place to secure a front-row start for the third time in a row, but, like everyone else, was unable to climb any higher in the standings in the first race. After two red flags in Saturday’s race, there was no third (restart) and ultimately no result.

In Sunday’s race, he was right in the thick of the action, leading for several metres as part of a four-man group battling for victory, but on the third-last lap he lost control of his front wheel on the right-hander after the Orlen bend and took Dutchman Ruben Bijman down with him. At least he retained fourth place in the standings.

Training in the Moto4 Northern Cup

It is no coincidence that he has been among the top riders in the Euro Moto Sportbike class right from the start. In 2024 and 2025, he too competed in the Northern Talent Cup – now known as the Moto4 Northern Cup – on the Moto3 path. In his first year, he finished fifth overall with two wins and three further podium finishes; last year, with four podium finishes, he finished eighth overall. This, along with his move up a class, was also due to the fact that, given his current height and weight, he had, so to speak, outgrown the Moto3 race bikes. Speaking to SPEEDWEEK.com, the 19-year-old from Niederndorf near Kufstein – who will remain 19 until September – said: “That certainly played a part. What’s more, lots of young riders have come through who weighed up to 20 kilograms less than me. Because of that, I found it increasingly difficult to keep up at that level. That naturally affected my top speed, and at the start alone I usually lost up to two rows.”

He feels much more at home in the sportbike category, and his successes are proving his decision to switch was the right one. “We thought long and hard about what to do and believe this is the right path.” For a 19-year-old, the Euro Moto is certainly not the ultimate goal. “The plan is definitely to move into the World Championship at some point – it’s actually a dream. But not next year, because for now I want to learn the ropes and establish myself in the sportbike class.”

Aprilia is less sensitive

Whilst the Honda NSF 250 R is a thoroughbred racing machine, his Aprilia RS 660 from Team ViVa by Peuker & Streeb is a modified road bike. “When we were testing in Valencia and I rode the bike for the first time, the switch was actually easier than I’d expected. On the Honda, I had to make sure I had enough space and figure out the best way to tuck in behind the fairing. I don’t really have that problem with the Aprilia. I got to grips with it relatively well straight away. What’s more, in my opinion, the Aprilia isn’t as fussy as the Honda.”

Had he expected to get on so well straight away in what was a new class for him? After all, he clinched pole position at the Sachsenring on his debut. “My expectations were already very high, but I wouldn’t have thought it would get off to such a good start straight away. To begin with, I’d thought that 7th place would be good enough. Of course, you’re even happier when you do even better.”

Now that he’s exceeded his own expectations quite quickly, he’s not getting carried away, but talks about continuing to gain a lot of experience. Nevertheless, he did let slip that he certainly wants to be up there at the front consistently and fight for victories. “I’m not really looking at the overall standings at the moment, because things will just turn out as they come. The title isn’t impossible, because the season is still long and others can make mistakes too. I’d say I’m always on the lookout. At the start of the season, I’d have thought it would be more of a learning year, but it’s since become clear that you can make progress relatively quickly.”