Euro Moto Supersport: Dirk Geiger wins at Assen from every starting position

Dirk Geiger had to start from the pit lane once again in the first Euro Moto Supersport race on Saturday afternoon. But the Team Apreco rider has been no stranger to starting troubles ever since Oschersleben. There, he had to use his third engine of the season and, as only two are permitted, using the third means having to start two races from the pit lane. This rule has been tightened up since the start of this year; previously, riders only had to start from the back row. But that didn’t bother Geiger in the slightest; after four laps, the Yamaha rider had already made it into the top ten.

A surprise at the finish

With three laps to go, Geiger – the only rider clocking times of 1.40 minutes – had moved up to fourth place and was battling his way towards the top three right up until the final lap. His team-mate Lennox Lehmann sent his Yamaha skidding over the Misano kerbs, and the two went side by side in the final metres. Daniel Blin crossed the finish line first, just millimetres ahead of Geiger. However, as Blin had exceeded the track limit and the distance was too short for the intended long lap, he was handed a three-second penalty. As a result, Geiger was declared the winner.

“It was just an amazing race,” he said, summing up his brisk charge through the field. “The bike was in perfect condition and I just tried to set my own pace and power my way through all the groups. It worked perfectly; I was hardly held up at all. From the middle of the race onwards, I could see that a podium finish was on the cards. Then Luca de Vleeschauwer really stepped up the pace again and I thought it would be tricky, because my pace hadn’t changed. That wouldn’t have been enough to catch him.”

That was for you.

Dirk Geiger

“There was a bit of chaos towards the end,” he continued, “partly because of Lennox’s crash. And then on the final lap, I don’t know how, but I just got through and gave it my all. It’s a shame about the penalty, because Daniel Blin had actually won the race. But that’s how it goes – let’s see how it all turns out in the end. Thanks to the team and to Yamaha Germany. That was for you lot.”

Topic of the week

Topic of the week: Aprilia comeback? The truth is: Aprilia never went away!

Four weeks ago, Aprilia headed into the summer break from Germany with a badly injured Marco Bezzecchi. The response came from the heart of British motor racing: ‘Together we are strong!’

Thomas Kuttruf

Read more

On Sunday, Dirk Geiger was finally able to start from pole position. He’d served his penalty for the extra engine change. “I’m ready to go and I know what I’ve got to do,” he said shortly before the race. No sooner said than done. Although Daniel Blin also put his foot down, Geiger didn’t let the victory slip from his grasp. “You always find something new for the second race,” said Geiger after the one-two finish. “We also found another little something that made it easier for me to stay in control. At the start I had to push quite hard, then I just tried to find my rhythm, get through the laps and not make any mistakes. Which then worked perfectly. But a top performance from Daniel Blin – he kept the pressure on throughout. Still, it was a perfect weekend and perfect races. I hadn’t expected it to turn out like this.