Hockenheim: Stepan Zuda (Triumph) fulfils his dream of winning the Sportbike title

Ruben Bijman (Freudenberg Paligo Racing) kept the title race in the Euro Moto Sportbike class open right up until the final race of the season. The Dutchman won the first race at Hockenheim on Saturday ahead of his team-mate and championship leader Stepan Zuda. Tobias Kitzbichler completed the podium. Ahead of Sunday’s grand finale, Zuda and Bijman were separated by 23 points.

Zuda got off to the better start. Starting from second on the grid, the Czech rider overtook pole-sitter Bijman and entered the first corner in the lead. Tobias Kitzbichler (ViVa by Peuker & Streeb) also made his move and initially moved into second place. However, Bijman quickly re-established himself directly behind Zuda. The two title contenders set a fast pace at the front and gradually pulled away from the field.

Bijman steps up a gear

For Bijman, the first part of the race went differently to expected. His plan had been to get away quickly at the front. However, Zuda had other ideas and held the Dutchman back. “The first part of the race wasn’t easy, as Zuda was performing very strongly. But from the middle of the race onwards, I was able to maintain my pace and, whilst leading, found my rhythm again. The bike is really strong at the moment and I just feel really good on it,” said Bijman.

In the final third of the race, the Dutchman really turned up the pace once more. Zuda stayed on his heels, but had to keep the risks in mind with the championship in view. After 13 laps, Bijman won by a margin of 1.512 seconds and celebrated his fourth victory of the season. He also set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:31.717 minutes.

Zuda takes home vital points

Zuda had initially tried to control the race from the front. However, as his tyres began to wear out, he didn’t want to put all his eggs in one basket. “I wanted to stay out front from the start and see if I could keep up the pace. When the tyres started to wear out, the risk eventually became too great for me. After that, it was all about maintaining my pace and not making any unnecessary mistakes. Of course, I still hoped that Ruben might make a mistake,” explained Zuda. The Czech was satisfied with second place. He dedicated his podium finish to his late best friend, Troy Beinlich. Ahead of the final race of the season on Sunday, Zuda now leads the championship by 23 points ahead of Bijman.

Kitzbichler struggles with a loose visor

Kitzbichler held on to third place, though he had to fend off more than just Tom Kuil (RT Motorsports). Strong winds and a loose visor made life even harder for him. “It was a difficult race because of the wind. My visor hadn’t clicked into place properly, which is why it was left open. Because of that, there were times when I could barely see properly. On the final lap, I gave it my all once more and even set my fastest lap time. I’m very happy with third place,” said the Austrian.

With a time of 1:31.724 minutes, he did indeed set his personal best on the final lap. Kuil followed closely behind in fourth place. Daniel Mogeda (RT Motorsports Honda) took the Honda CBR600RR to fifth place in its test outing.

Euro Moto Sportbike, Race 1

Race 2: Title for Zuda

Stepan Zuda is the new Euro Moto Sportbike champion. In the final race of the season, a third-place finish was enough for the Czech rider to clinch the title. Ruben Bijman took the win once again, ahead of guest rider Daniel Mogeda. A mere 0.004 seconds separated Mogeda and Zuda at the finish line. Tobias Kitzbichler finished fourth, thereby securing third place in the overall standings.

Zuda (Freudenberg Paligo Racing) got off to the best start, but knew full well that he didn’t need to go all out this Sunday. Whilst Bijman (Freudenberg Rora Paligo Racing) took the lead and immediately set a fast pace, the championship leader initially rode more cautiously. The situation was simpler for Bijman. He had nothing to lose and had to go all out. Zuda, on the other hand, needed above all to finish the race.

Behind Bijman, Tobias Kitzbichler (ViVa by Peuker & Streeb) and Daniel Mogeda (RT Motorsports Honda) were initially in thick of the action. The field was bunched tightly together and Zuda temporarily dropped back to sixth place. By the middle of the race, however, he had found his rhythm again. “At the start of the race, I first took a look at how the group was behaving and didn’t want to rush into anything. Gradually, I found my rhythm, was able to pick up my pace again and eventually break away from the group. After that, the race felt almost like a fairy tale to me,” explained Zuda.

Bijman completes the one-two

At the front, Bijman didn’t put a foot wrong. The Dutchman set the pace and won after 13 laps with a lead of 2.506 seconds. Following his victory on Saturday, he thus secured a one-two at Hockenheim.

The fastest lap of the race, however, went to the new champion. Zuda clocked a time of 1:31.441 minutes on lap 8. Bijman’s fastest lap was 1:31.546 minutes.

Photo finish for second place

Behind Bijman, it got really tight again in the final metres. Mogeda overtook Zuda just before the finish line and secured second place by a wafer-thin margin of 0.004 seconds. For the Spaniard, it was a successful end to his test weekend on the Honda CBR600RR. “I’m very happy with the weekend and with the test on the Honda. It was great fun riding here and gaining experience on the bike. I’d like to thank my team for giving me the opportunity to ride here,” said Mogeda.

After his podium finish on Saturday, Kitzbichler narrowly missed out on the top three this time, finishing fourth. However, the Austrian ends a strong season in third place in the overall standings.

Zuda caps off his season

For Zuda, third place was more than enough in the end. After a season in which he also had to contend with a hand injury at times, he was crowned the 2026 Euro Moto Sportbike Champion at Hockenheim. “The whole season was brilliant. Even my hand injury didn’t stop us from consistently performing really well. I look back on this year with great gratitude and would like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way.”

And so the 2026 Sportbike season draws to a close with Zuda as champion, Bijman as his closest rival and Kitzbichler in third place overall.

Euro Moto Sportbike, Race 2