David Datzer misses out on the podium at Horice as Marek Cerveny takes victory

Marek Cerveny has already proved time and time again that he is a tough opponent to beat on his home circuit in Horice. In the first race of the IRRC Sportbike series, too, the Czech rider demonstrated his class on the Horice street circuit. The Aprilia rider led from start to finish.

Although he set the fastest lap time of 2:18.092 minutes – making him considerably faster than many a Superbike rider – his compatriot Michal Dokoupil, who in turn managed to keep Karel Pesek, the third Czech in the line-up, at bay, had to settle for second place.

As he was unable to organise a Superbike, David Datzer returned to the scene of his legendary performances – including lap records – on a sports bike. Had the German not been held up for long stretches by the Czech rider Martin Hrstka, he might well have secured another podium finish. As it was, he had to settle for fourth place.

In the absence of the championship leader, Dutchman Wally Jacobs, Jamie Williams took the top spot in the provisional standings. The Manxman secured the maximum number of points by finishing sixth behind five guest riders. After many setbacks, Germany’s Thomas Wendel enjoyed a ray of hope by finishing second in the IRRC standings.

Results, IRRC Sportbike Horice, Race 1, 8 August 2026

1. Marek Cerveny (CZ)*, 10 laps in 23:20.918 mins. 2. Michal Dokoupil (CZ)*, 1.585 sec behind. 3. Karel Pesek (CZ)*, +29.379 sec. 4. David Datzer (D)*. 5. Martin Hrstka (CZ)*. 6. Jamie Williams (GBM), all on Aprilia. Also: 11. Thomas Wendel (D), Aprilia. 15. Stefan Holz (D), Suzuki. *Guest rider (no points).