Euro Moto Most: Marcel Schrötter must return trophy following Smits’ protest

Oh no, not quite. That’s one way to describe Marcel Schrötter’s first race at Euro Moto Most. For several laps, race control had been investigating the BMW rider’s manoeuvre at the start of the race, which had forced him into the run-off area at the first chicane. Then the announcement came over the monitors that no further action would be taken. Case closed. Oh no, not quite.

For Marcel Schrötter, all his efforts last weekend at the Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic were almost in vain. After the event, the 33-year-old received a time penalty following a protest lodged by an opposing team in the first race. The Apreco team, led by Dutchman Twan Smits, had lodged a protest, which was upheld.

A gruelling weekend in the heat of Most

Round 3 of the 2026 Euro Moto season at the Most circuit in the north-west of the country was marked by extreme heat. Track temperatures of over 70 degrees put both the riders and the equipment to the test. Marcel Schrötter went into the weekend full of confidence after celebrating his first victory as a rookie in the national Superbike Championship at the series’ previous round in Brno.

The BMW rider from Team GERT56 also finished second in Superpole 2, meaning he started the races from the front row. In the first race on Sunday afternoon, everything initially went according to plan. For much of the race, Schrötter was the only challenger to the reigning champion and championship leader, Lukas Tulovic. It was only when his tyres began to wear out that his run came to an end. In the closing stages, he came under pressure from Florian Alt, who managed to overtake Schrötter on the final lap. However, his delight at finishing third and at the podium ceremony was dampened that evening when race control imposed a three-second time penalty, causing him to drop to fifth place in the standings.

“On the third lap, there was an incident with Lukas Tulovic, who forced Schrötter off the line whilst overtaking at the entrance to the tight chicane, causing Schrötter to take the escape route and subsequently return to the track in accordance with the rules,” according to his press release. An opposing team lodged a protest over this incident, which the race organisers upheld. However, Schrötter’s GERT56 team immediately lodged an appeal to regain third place.

Twice straight on

The second race proved very turbulent for Schrötter right from the start. Running wide at the first chicane due to a gear-changing error immediately diminished his chances of building on his previous performance, and after a further incident, the race was effectively over for him. Fifth place was therefore a case of damage limitation. Schrötter currently lies second in the championship standings, 33 points behind Tulovic.

“All in all, the weekend was okay,” he said. “After a Friday that wasn’t exactly easy, followed by the detour via Superpole 1 to Superpole 2, we all did a good job. The first race went okay. I felt pretty comfortable at the start and was able to keep up with Lukas after he’d overtaken me with a slightly harder move. But as the race went on, I couldn’t maintain the pace any longer. I also had problems with the tyres, and I started getting arm cramps. All of that combined is difficult to cope with on this track. It’s a shame that Florian Alt managed to overtake me on the final lap. It was a bit disappointing to effectively have to give away second place on the final lap. The most important thing was to have finished the race in the top three.”

Especially as the race organisers had 13 laps to react differently.

Marcel Schrötter

“Right at the start of the second race, I made two mistakes in quick succession,” Schrötter reveals. “The first one happened whilst downshifting; I accidentally shifted into neutral, so I had no engine braking. That’s why I rode straight into the run-off area at the first chicane. There, I played it safe to avoid a penalty and only rejoined the field in about fifth place. That made things difficult for me right from the start, because there’s always a fierce battle for positions in that section.”

“Later on, I went straight on again because I was having trouble braking the bike properly,” said the BMW rider. “So I basically messed up the race a bit for myself. Still, it wasn’t a disaster, but of course I want more, and I think it was obvious that the BMW struggles more in this heat. The penalty imposed retrospectively – which I only found out about when I was already on my way to the airport – is naturally a blow, not just because I have to hand back the trophy, but above all because of the points lost. But I think my team’s appeal stands a chance, especially as race control had 13 laps to react differently, for example by imposing a long-lap penalty. Nevertheless, I’m delighted to currently be the top BMW rider in the championship. We need to take that with us and carry on, so that we can be more competitive again next race weekend.”