Just over three weeks ago, Twan Smits hadn’t even managed a pole position. Now he has secured his fourth consecutive victory at the Öhlins EURO MOTO event at the Nürburgring. The 22-year-old Dutchman once again simply left seasoned World Championship veterans such as Marcel Schrötter, Lukas Tulovic and Markus Reiterberger in his wake in the second Superbike race.
Twan Smits (Team Apreco-Yamaha) once again capitalised on his pole position in the day’s second race to take the lead after the first lap. Lukas Tulovic (Triple M Ducati Racing Frankfurt) and Marcel Schrötter (GERT56 by RS Speedbikes) remained hot on the heels of the ‘flying Dutchman’, within half a second of him. And just as in the first race, Markus Reiterberger (Masteroil Alpha Van Zon BMW) was back in the mix after overtaking Kevin Orgis (ORM Racing).
Everyone had their own agenda: Smits wanted to win the race, Tulovic to defend his title, Schrötter to keep his title hopes alive until Hockenheim, and the rest to boost their points tally in the overall standings.
Highs and lows
Jan-Ole Jähnig (GERT56 by RS Speedbikes) was just as fast as the front-runners, but the gap from fifth to fourth place was simply too big to close. Smits had already pulled away. Former Superbike rider Marc Moser stood at the side of the track and marvelled right from the start of the weekend: “It’s mad, the pace at which they’re riding here.” In the EURO MOTO Superbike class, an elite group of riders are taking turns at the front.
Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) made up one place with his overtaking manoeuvre on Kevin Orgis. His eighth place on the grid was a blow to the whole HRP team. “We’ve got next to no grip on the track and are struggling this weekend,” said Alt, accepting the reality – as he does every year at the Nürburgring – with dignity. The title is no longer on the cards for the only Honda rider in the field anyway. Now the 2023 champion simply had to get through the weekend decently in order to perhaps pull off a coup at the finale in Hockenheim.
Tulovic doesn’t give anything away
In the second half of the 18-lap race, Tulovic and Schrötter battled fiercely. For Schrötter, it was a massive achievement when he finally overcame the Ducati powerhouse. Given his lead in the championship, Tulovic didn’t need to take on Schrötter, but his racing spirit got the better of him and he wasn’t about to let anything slip by. “We saw it all today. The front wheel on the bike bucked and buckled. I overdid it a bit in a corner and had to go too far out. That’s when Marcel slipped past,” reported the 26-year-old Ducati Panigale V4R rider after the battle.
Following the Eifel weekend, 34.5 points separate Tulovic and Schrötter in the overall standings. The decision as to who will be crowned 2026 champion will be made from 25 to 27 September at the Hockenheimring. Twan Smits trails Schrötter by 22 points. It’s set to be a nail-biter.
EURO MOTO Superbike, Race 2
1. Twan SMITS (NLD/Yamaha)
2. Marcel SCHRÖTTER (GER/BMW)
3. Lukas TULOVIC (GER/Ducati)
4. Markus REITERBERGER (GER/BMW)
5. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER/BMW)
6. Florian ALT (GER/Honda)
7. Kevin ORGIS (GER/BMW)
8. Leon ORGIS (GER/BMW)
9. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER/BMW)
10. Jan MOHR (AUT/BMW)
11. Martin VUGRINEC (CRO/BMW)
12. Hannes SOOMER (EST/BMW)
13. Milan MERCKELBAGH (NLD/BMW)
14. Lorenzo ZANETTI (ITA/Ducati)
15. Marco FETZ (GER/BMW)
16. Christoph BEINLICH (GER/BMW)