Euro Moto News Assen: Mercy, recovery, patience and three winners

The guest from the World Sportbike Championship had some bad timing and nearly ended up just watching. A Belgian has extended an invitation, and a Swiss rider is on the mend. The frame class has already been swept clean.

Race organisers show leniency

For guest sportbike rider Jeffrey Buis (Track & Trades Wixx Racing), his plan didn’t work out. The Dutchman had skipped the first qualifying session on Friday entirely. Buis is using the Euro Moto weekend at his home track primarily as a training opportunity during the long summer break in the World Championship. He had already feared on Friday that the change in weather on Saturday could become a problem. Buis had to set a time in the second qualifying session under difficult conditions and clocked 2:01.192 minutes. This left him well above the 110 per cent mark of 1:56.389 minutes required for the combined classification, and he was initially ineligible for the races. However, the World Championship rider did not have to sit out the race. His team applied to Race Control for permission to start. This was granted to Buis on the basis of his fast lap times from the two free practice sessions. In those sessions, he had been right up there with the front-runners and finished second in the combined practice standings, just nine thousandths of a second behind Zuda. This means the Dutchman is allowed to start in both races, albeit from last place. (Source: euromoto.racing)

WM-Pilot Buis muss von hinten los

Foto: Thorste Horn

Taking part rather than just watching

Axel Kölsch gave up his job as a sidecar co-pilot many years ago and currently sits on the race committee for the sporting organiser MSC Freier Grund in Assen and at the Nürburgring. He has now been promoting the Euro Moto event at the Nürburgring. “Experience motorsport up close – right at the racetrack,” reads the message on social media. “Join our team now: for over 40 years, we’ve been organising the ADAC Siegerland Prize, a long-standing motorsport event at the Nürburgring. Euro Moto, the predecessor to the IDM, is the top-tier motorbike series at the Eifel circuit. What’s on offer: experience motorsport up close, with accommodation and meals included; training is provided – no prior experience required – and an unforgettable weekend as part of a great team. There’s no racing without track marshals – join the team and help us ensure the Euro Moto runs safely. Sign up now as a marshal and experience motorsport live.” Dates for the Euro Moto event: 4 to 6 September 2026.

Right up close

As Euro Moto hasn’t been held at Zolder in Belgium for quite some time, Belgian rider Luca de Vleeschauwer has chosen both Assen and the Nürburgring as his home races. Anyone who fancies it can get right up close. “Join me for my Euro Moto race weekends at the Nürburgring (4–6 September) and enjoy the race weekend like a real insider with our VIP package,” suggests de Vleeschauwer. “The package includes: weekend entry to the circuit, an official merchandise T-shirt, meals on Saturday and Sunday, access to the exclusive VIP lounge with the best view of the track, as well as a guided tour behind the scenes of the team and through the paddock.” Anyone interested can contact the host via a message on Facebook or Instagram.

Progress is being made

Following his serious crash at the Euro Moto Supersport in Most, Swiss rider Marcel Brenner is back in action. “My recovery is progressing step by step,” he says. “My back injury, the rib injuries and the bruises to my chest and lungs are all healing well. I’m also finally making good progress with the whiplash, which turned out to be more difficult than expected and caused some significant problems. Assen and the Nürburgring are still too soon. Hockenheim remains a possibility, but it’s still too early to say whether I’ll be fit in time. For now, the focus remains on a full recovery.”

Waiting for the new model

In the MCA Supersport team, team boss Stefan Schmidt sent his entire Honda line-up – comprising Marvin Siebdrath, Julius Caesar Rörig and Julius Ahrenkiel-Frellsen – out onto the wet track for the second practice session. Every kilometre counts. The fact is that none of the MCA riders are currently able to match the successes of former team rider Dirk Geiger. Schmidt points out, however, that all manufacturers have made progress and that the successful Honda CBR 600 RR has reached its limits. The manufacturer has announced a new model for 2028. Schmidt does, however, consider it very likely that Siebdrath will finish on the podium this year. The Saxon has already finished fourth twice. (Source: euromoto.racing)

Visitors from the Island

Anyone who can’t get enough of Assen can pop back in four weeks’ time. From 18 to 20 September 2026, the British Superbike Championship (BSB) will return to the TT Circuit for its only race weekend outside the UK. Children up to and including the age of 15 enjoy free entry throughout the British Superbike weekend. Visitors also benefit from free seating in all available grandstands and spectator stands, as well as free parking. A ticket for Saturday and Sunday costs 67 euros and is available directly from the Assen ticket shop.

Saturday’s winner No. 1: Jaden Immanuel

“On Saturday, I won my very first race at the legendary TT Circuit in Assen,” said a delighted ADAC Junior Cup rider Jaden Immanuel from India. “It was a fantastic race, in which I went head-to-head with the Moto4 Northern Cup riders on their faster motorbikes, and it’s a great feeling to represent the tricolour and win on 15 August. There are no podium photos, as the top four places were taken by Moto4 riders on wildcard entries, but we took first place in the first race of the ADAC Junior Cup, scored important points for the championship and tested my limits. I’m looking forward to the second race. Many thanks to my team, F.Koch Rennsport, and my sponsors.

Saturday’s winner No. 2: Ricardo Brink

In the Pro Superstock 1000 Cup, Dutch rider Ricardo Brink is likely still fresh in everyone’s memory. Last year, he won every race. Now, as part of his preparations for the BSB round at Assen, he paid a visit to his former stomping ground. He secured victory in the first race with a lead of 3.216 seconds.

Saturday winner No. 3: Timo Kubbinga

The first podium of the Assen weekend in the Kawasaki ZX4-RR Cup had an international flavour. The biggest trophy was claimed by a local rider, Timo Kubbinga. He crossed the finish line 0.2 seconds ahead of Germany’s Filip Knigge. Eleven seconds behind the pair, the third trophy went to Switzerland with Aaron Thomas Müller.