Most: Dirk Geiger secures Yamaha’s first R9 victory – Race 2 cancelled

Dirk Geiger won his first Supersport race at Most following his move to Yamaha. At the same time, he took the lead in the Euro Moto intermediate class standings. Luca Göttlicher’s podium finish on the MV Agusta was at least as spectacular, even though the field had spread out considerably by the end of the first race.

After four victories for Daniel Blin (Automarket AF Racing), Dirk Geiger’s (Team Apreco) time had come. Starting from pole position at the Czech Autodrom, he secured his first win on the Apreco-Yamaha. It wasn’t just any victory, but also the first for the new YZF-R9 model in Euro Moto. Geiger led the 14-lap race with authority. In the end, he finished 5.81 seconds ahead of the chasing pack and was celebrated accordingly. The fact that his team-mate Lennox Lehmann crossed the finish line in second place sparked double the joy throughout the whole crew: “Even though I messed up the start with a few mistakes,” remarked the Dresden-born rider. And he added: “It couldn’t have gone any better, because our team-mate Twan Smits is also starting from the front row in the Superbikes on Sunday.” Yamaha had every reason to celebrate.

A new face on the Supersport podium

Luca Göttlicher (LJ Racing) set a milestone in the history of MV Agusta. In the sweltering heat, he secured the Italian brand’s first podium finish in the Euro Moto, formerly known as the IDM. Till Belczykowski had been the team’s rider there for the past three years. Göttlicher was injured over the winter and only made his debut at the second Euro Moto round. But ‘Lucky Luc’ has clearly already found his rhythm. As he says, the bike suits him; it was just the heat that got the better of him at Most. Even as lap times slowed down during the race, Göttlicher stubbornly stayed on course for a podium finish.

Two red flags

Sunday’s race got off to a bad start. The first red flag was brought out following a violent highside by the Swiss rider Marcel Brenner. The Ducati rider subsequently had to be taken away by ambulance. The second race had only covered a few corners before it was halted again due to a crash in the midfield. After that, race control decided not to make a third attempt. No points were awarded on Sunday.