Euro Moto riders in Suzuka: from podium finishers to those who were injured

Lennox Lehmann from the Euro Moto Supersport series and Hannes Soomer from the Euro Moto Superbike series had barely landed at Suzuka when they had to set off on their journey home again. Both had been injured during practice for the third round of the Endurance World Championship. Lehmann injured his hand and Soomer his shoulder. Both are now receiving medical treatment in their respective home countries and are hoping to be fit again for the next Euro Moto round at Oschersleben at the end of the month.

Painful end to the season’s classic race

For Marcel Schrötter, competing in the Euro Moto for Team GERT56, the race came to a premature end. A severely swollen left knee following a crash forced the 33-year-old to throw in the towel. With just two riders, Kenny Foray and Schrötter’s Euro Moto team-mate Jan-Ole Jähnig, the ERC Endurance team finished 22nd in the overall standings on Sunday.

Marcel Schrötter

Foto: ERC

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Suzuka weekend we’d hoped for,” said Schrötter after the early exit. “Up to and including qualifying, things went quite well overall. I was also a little surprised at how well the Japanese Dunlop tyres performed, as it was my first time using them at Suzuka. The feel of them and of the bike was really good. But there is a difference compared to our tyres in Europe, and the competition in the tyre sector – especially here at Suzuka – is a force to be reckoned with. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with my lap time in qualifying and felt there was still a bit more potential there. I think my 2:05.9 was the fastest lap time so far on Dunlop tyres under Suzuka conditions. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough to improve our position in the overall qualifying standings. On top of that, we had a technical problem during the night practice session on Friday evening, which led to a crash. In the process, I foolishly banged my left knee hard or twisted it somehow. I felt intense pain straight away and my knee swelled up badly, so there was no way I could take part in the race.”

Just missed the top ten at the classic race in Japan

For Jonas Folger, who had previously competed in the Euro Moto Supersport at Most as a KTM test rider, his second appearance at what is arguably the most prestigious endurance race was once again not only an unforgettable experience but also a sporting success, as he finished eleventh overall with the Japanese team S-Pulse Dream Racing Suzuki.

Despite difficult conditions, 32-year-old Jonas Folger was once again thrilled by Suzuka and the events during the race week in Japan. He shared the GSX R1000R Superbike with the Japanese rider Sho Nishimura and the Frenchman Jérémy Guarnoni.

Jonas Folger

Foto: S Pulse Dream Racing

In the closing stages, the race was neutralised by a safety car period due to heavy rain. By that point, Folger and his team had already secured eleventh place. “The weather has been very changeable over the last two days, and the heavy rain during the race was a real challenge, but one we managed well,” he said, summing up his trip. “The hardest part was adapting to it as quickly as possible, and against that backdrop, eleventh place is really good. When you consider that the top teams and their drivers had already completed eight to ten days of testing under a wide variety of conditions, our performance is quite remarkable. I think we can be satisfied with that.”

“Without the time lost during the safety car periods, a place in the top ten would have been very likely. But we’ve come together as a strong team over these few days, and our driver line-up with Sho and Jérémy was really good. Perhaps next year we’ll have the opportunity to take part in a test before race week, which would be a huge advantage from our perspective as drivers. Because if that allows us to improve our pace by up to a second through a bit more preparation, we’ll not only line up further up the grid, but we’ll also be closer to the top teams during the race, which of course helps us find a better rhythm and finish a few places higher at the end of the eight hours.”

“Overall, there’s still room for improvement in our preparations, but given the circumstances, we’ve done well,” said Folger. “Ultimately, I had an incredible amount of fun again; the atmosphere was brilliant, and I really enjoyed Suzuka once more. I’m looking forward to hopefully having the chance to do it again next year.”

Historic podium at the Suzuka 8 Hours

Markus Reiterberger, racing in the Euro Moto Superbike class for the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon BMW team, enjoyed a huge success alongside his team-mates Michael van der Mark and Steven Odendaal. The team secured third place with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR, marking the first podium finish for a European manufacturer at the Suzuka 8 Hours (J). The Japanese endurance classic has been held since 1978, and until the 2026 edition, no European brand had ever managed to make it onto the podium.

“We’ve finally made it onto the podium at Suzuka,” said a delighted Reiterberger. “I’ve been here with this motorbike and this team for many years, and now we’ve finally done it. Congratulations to the whole team – they really deserve this success. It’s been a long and hard journey. We’d been hoping for dry conditions, because I think even more would have been possible then. In the rain, it wasn’t quite so easy for us. The team did an outstanding job, and we’re back in the thick of the fight for the World Championship – and that’s the most important thing.”