Assen Supersport: Geiger wins everything – Blin lodges protest against penalty

Dirk Geiger (Apreco) had to start from the pit lane in the first Euro Moto Supersport race despite securing pole position, as he was using his third engine. Daniel Blin (Automarket AF Racing Team) was demoted three places for exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane. The same applied to Luca Göttlicher (LJ Racing). As a result, Lennox Lehmann (Apreco), Marvin Siebdrath (MCA) and Luca de Vleeschauwer (SWPN) occupied the front row of the grid.

Lehmann took the lead at the start. Blin and Göttlicher pushed on. Göttlicher even returned from the first lap in the lead. A driving error on the third lap saw him drop back to fourth place. Two battling pairs emerged. At the front, Lehmann and Blin were locked in a battle. Just behind them, Göttlicher and Luca de Vleeschauwer were locked in a tussle.

Geiger ploughs through the field

Things got even more interesting on the eighth of 13 laps. Geiger had ploughed through the field from the pit lane and was already fifth. He was the only rider clocking times in the 1:41s. On the ninth lap, Luca de Vleeschauwer faltered and could no longer keep up the pace. Behind him, Freddie Heinrich – the only Kawasaki rider in contention for a top-six finish – crashed out of the race.

Geiger was now well on course for a podium finish, whilst at the front the battle was in full swing. Lehmann made a gear-changing error. Blin darted past the Saxon. Suddenly, Blin found himself off the track and Lehmann was back in front. Then came the decisive moment: Lehmann buried his first potential win of the season in the gravel.

Converted penalty for Blin

It then became an extremely close affair in the closing stages. Geiger had fought his way through the pack on his Yamaha R9 and was battling with Blin and Göttlicher for victory in some hair-raising manoeuvres. In the end, Blin crossed the line first, eleven thousandths of a second ahead of Geiger and Göttlicher. The official results told a different story. Because Blin had ended up in the run-off area at the Ruskenhoek bend whilst battling with Lehmann and had not delayed for a second before returning to the track, as required by the regulations, he was handed a three-second time penalty. The race distance was not long enough to accommodate a long-lap penalty.

Geiger was declared the winner of the race. As a result, he took the lead in the overall standings from Blin. Göttlicher finished second on his MV Agusta and took third place on the podium. The Pole lodged a protest against the decision.

Euro Moto Supersport, Race 1

Second round, second win

Dirk Geiger emerged as the Supersport dominator from the Euro Moto weekend at the TT Circuit Assen. The 24-year-old also won the second race on his Apreco Yamaha, taking another step towards the title. Daniel Blin finished second, with Lennox Lehmann completing the podium in third place.

This time, Geiger was able to get away from his starting position. Starting from pole position, he immediately took the lead and did not relinquish it until the finish. Initially, his team-mate Lennox Lehmann was able to keep up. The Yamaha rider kept his Ducati rival Daniel Blin (Automarket AF Racing Team) at bay. After three laps, however, the order at the front had settled: Geiger was alone in the lead, with a gap opening up behind him between Lehmann and Blin.

Geiger was off

Lehmann continued to fight hard despite the after-effects of his spectacular crash on Saturday. He kept Blin at bay for a long time, but the Pole eventually prevailed. Geiger was unable to catch Blin in the second race. However, the winner felt under pressure from the Pole right up to the end. Geiger has further extended his lead in the championship. Blin leaves in second place, 13 points behind. The Ducati rider had arrived with a one-point lead. His message for the next race was accordingly clear: “See you again at the Nürburgring.”

Luca de Vleeschauwer (Team SWPN) was defeated in a spirited and protracted battle with Luca Göttlicher (LJ Racing). Göttlicher had missed the season opener and is now steadily working his way up the overall standings. He has already closed the gap to fourth-placed Marvin Siebdrath (MCA Honda) to just one point. For the MV Agusta team, it is a real achievement to be securing podium places with Göttlicher – or to be just behind them. Kawasaki lone rider Freddie Heinrich (Weber-Kawasaki) fought his way up to seventh place during the race. He had crashed in the first race.

Euro Moto Supersport, Race 2

Blin geht in Berufung

Foto: Thorsten Horn