Euro Moto Assen: A wild ride and a trophy
Belgian team boss Werner Daemen travelled with his Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team to neighbouring Netherlands last weekend. The fifth round of the Euro Moto Superbike championship took place at the TT Circuit Assen, where the MotoGP and WorldSBK series usually take turns hosting races. On the starting grid were Markus Reiterberger (Germany), Jan Mohr (Austria) and Milan Merckelbagh (Netherlands). Hannes Soomer was once again absent due to a shoulder injury. The Pro Superstock 1000 trio of Julius Ilmberger (Germany), Manuel Schoewer (Germany) and Ouri Bikkems (Belgium) lined up in full strength.
Markus Reiterberger had travelled to Assen in high spirits. It is a circuit with which the Euro Moto Superbike rider from Team Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW has fond memories, and he was keen to add a few more good memories to those at the third-last race of the Euro Moto season. In all practice sessions – whether on the sweltering Friday or the noticeably cooler and occasionally rainy Saturday – the Bavarian had consistently been among the leading group. Even though missing out on the front row certainly niggled at him and he started from fourth on the grid, opening the second row, the gaps were absolutely manageable.
Reiterberger got off to a good start in the first race and, after just a few laps, found himself in the leading group alongside Smits and Tulovic. The BMW rider was involved in a particularly thrilling duel with Tulovic. Although Reiterberger managed to get past his rival during his attack, Tulovic countered immediately. After a severe front-wheel slide in the final chicane, Reiterberger let common sense prevail and decided to bring home third place as the best BMW rider. “We’d improved on the previous day’s performance,” explained Reiterberger, whose crew had quickly swapped the engine for the Oschersleben unit after the warm-up. “It was the best weekend ever so far. I gave it my all to get past Tulovic. To be honest, I was pushing beyond the limit from start to finish. When I nearly lost the front wheel, I limited myself to managing my lead. But I was close – it was a great race.”
Apart from the closing stages, the second race was also a joy to watch. Reiterberger kept the pressure on the leader, Twan Smits, consistently high and had a potential victory in his sights. Until a series of mistakes and a penalty thwarted his hopes of a podium finish. “The second race was actually even better than the first,” said the BMW rider, describing the frantic final stages. “I’d got Smits in my sights, but a small mistake sent me off course.” Reiterberger had to drive across the tarmac run-off area, slowed down as required by the rules, and rejoined the race some distance behind Smits. However, the race stewards felt the deceleration wasn’t sufficient and handed Reiterberger a long-lap penalty. The Bavarian saw his chance of victory slip away and was seething with rage beneath his helmet. “I know, rules are rules,” he acknowledges. “But I’d lost ground and had to fight my way back up.” Reiterberger then entered the long lap with too much speed and rattled through the gravel trap. Seventh place was the meagre result. “It is what it is; I have to make a decision in a fraction of a second. Of course, that’s bad for the championship. But as a team we’ve done a brilliant job and I’m very proud of our team.”
Jan Mohr had the longest journey, covering just under 900 kilometres. But having more or less got through the races at the Oschersleben circuit – a track he doesn’t particularly like – two weeks ago, his mood on the journey to Assen was likely to have been considerably better. In the Euro Moto Superbike pre-practice session, the Team Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW rider managed to secure a place in the coveted Superpole 2 straight away without any major problems. There, he secured seventh place on the grid and was therefore able to start from the third row.
His first race was looking promising. After just a few laps, he had settled into ninth place, but his push for a top-ten finish ended in the gravel. On the final lap, the Austrian was suddenly seen marching across the screens on foot. “I pushed hard right through the race,” he said, describing his Sunday. “Even though the gap to the front was still too big for me, things had gone really well in practice and we’d found a bit more pace. During the race, I could already tell my front tyre was wearing out. Towards the end, Kevin Orgis in front of me slowed down a bit, and I was determined to catch him.” It was all too much for the front tyre. Without any contact or an attack on Orgis, Mohr lost control of the front wheel and ended up on his backside.
By the second race, the BMW was back in action and Mohr praised his team. “Without them, I might only have been able to race again in three weeks if I’d had to sort it out myself. Full-on attack in the second race.” But he hadn’t reckoned with Florian Alt surging forward at the start. “I messed everything up in the first corner,” said Mohr. “Flo got off to a blistering start; I wanted to hold my own on the outside. He then cut straight across; I wanted to get into his slipstream but was probably a bit late and ended up wide. I’d lost my momentum and, after the crash in Race 1, I had to rebuild my rhythm first. From the middle of the race onwards, I rode without taking any major risks and crossed the line in ninth place.”
Milan Merckelbagh may be based in the Netherlands, but he lives on the opposite end of the country from Assen. To prepare for his home race, Merckelbagh was already at the TT Circuit a week beforehand. Competing in the International Dutch Championship (IDC), he enjoyed a successful race weekend, including a trophy. In the Euro Moto Superbike series, things didn’t go quite so smoothly for the rider from the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team. After a hot Friday and a rainy Saturday morning, he ultimately secured 12th on the grid. In Sunday’s warm-up, he managed to improve his lap times by another half a second.
In Race 1, Merckelbagh continued his brisk pace but struggled to maintain his fast lap times over the full distance. In the final metres, he was forced to concede to an attack by former World Championship rider Lorenzo Zanetti and crossed the line in 11th place. Race 2 was also a gruelling affair for the Dutchman, who was unable to fully showcase his skills on the track. Once again, it was 11th place, and Merckelbagh – who isn’t exactly a talkative sort to begin with – became even more taciturn after what was, for him, a rather lacklustre home race. “Another difficult weekend,” he sums up. “I struggled a lot with the set-up, crashed and simply couldn’t find my pace. None of that was very motivating for me.”
Pro Superstock 1000 Cup
Julius Ilmberger put in a valiant performance in the Cup’s sole qualifying session on a still-damp track and was within a hair’s breadth of pole position. The final 52 seconds of qualifying then dashed his hopes of a major coup. As the track dried out, three rivals stormed past him. Ilmberger had to settle for fourth on the grid. In the races, the BMW rider scored points for 7th and 4th places. “Qualifying was really exciting,” he said once it was all over. “It was worth a go on slicks. To be fair, the others were quicker. In the first race, I battled for third place for a long time.” The battle then ended in the run-off area. Both riders braked too late. That ruled out a podium finish, and in the end it was P8. Up to that point, it had been brilliant. Race 2 was good too. The pace was strong and I couldn’t quite keep up. I managed to bring home fifth place. It was the best result I could have achieved.”
Manuel Schoewer wasn’t visiting the circuit in the Netherlands for the first time, but he had to work hard to find his rhythm. In the first race, he put up a good fight and finished in 7th place. Things looked a lot better for the BMW rider in the second race. “It went really well,” he said afterwards. “But halfway through the race, my engine cut out and that was the end of my race. The first two days didn’t go so well. I was short of time, I’d had little practice and I messed up qualifying myself. But by the time we get to the Nürburgring, the lads will definitely have sorted the bike out again
Ouri Bikkems, a Belgian, was effectively racing on home soil at our neighbours’ track in the Netherlands. “We knew it was going to be a tough weekend after my heavy crash at Zolder last week,” explained Bikkems after finishing 10th and 11th. “I definitely wasn’t 100 per cent fit, but we got through the weekend. I know that a lot more would have been possible if I’d been fully fit. But it is what it is. Now the focus is on continuing my recovery, getting back to 100 per cent fitness and coming back stronger at the Nürburgring.”
Even though team boss Werner Daemen and some of his team are already looking ahead to the World Endurance Championship finale, they first have to head to the Nürburgring, where the penultimate round of the Euro Moto 2026 will take place from 4 to 6 September.
SUPERBIKE
Results and Standings
Euro Moto Superbike Starting Grid
1. 1.37,016 min Twan Smits (NL/Yamaha)
2. 1.37,083 min Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
3. 1.37,461 min Marcel Schrötter (D/BMW)
4. 1.37,496 min Markus Reiterberger (D/BMW)
7. 1.38,224 min Jan Mohr (A/BMW)
12. 1.40,001 min Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
Euro Moto Superbike Race 1
1. Twan Smits (NL/Yamaha)
2. Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
3. Markus Reiterberger (D/BMW)
11. Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
DNF Jan Mohr (A/BMW)
Euro Moto Superbike Race 2
1. Twan Smits (NL/Yamaha)
2. Marcel Schrötter (D/BMW)
3. Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
7. Markus Reiterberger (D/BMW)
9. Jan Mohr (A/BMW)
11. Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
Euro Moto Superbike Overall standings after 10 out of 14 races
1. 202,5 Punkte Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
2. 156,0 Punkte Marcel Schrötter (D/BMW)
3. 131,0 Punkte Twan Smits (NL/Yamaha)
4. 130,0 Punkte Markus Reiterberger (D/BMW)
10. 51,5 Punkte Jan Mohr (A/BMW)
11. 49,0 Punkte Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
13. 40,0 Punkten Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
Pro Superstock 1000 Cup
Results
Pro Superstock 1000 Cup Race 1
1. Ricard Brink (NL/Honda)
2. Sheridan Morais (P/Ducati)
3. Max Jacobsen (D/BMW)
7. Manuel Schoewer (D/BMW)
8. Julius Ilmberger (D/BMW)
10. Ouri Bikkems (B/BMW)
Pro Superstock 1000 Cup Race 2
1. Ricard Brink (NL/Honda)
2. Paul Fröde (D/Honda)
3. Max Zachmann (D/BMW)
4. Julius Ilmberger (D/BMW)
11. Ouri Bikkems (B/BMW)
DNF Manuel Schoewer (D/BMW)
Pro Superstock 1000 Overall standings
1. Paul FRÖDE DEU 131
2. Sheridan MORAIS POR 110
3. Max ZACHMANN DEU 78
4. Ouri BIKKEMS BEL 60
5. Manuel SCHOEWER DEU 59
8. Julius ILMBERGER DEU 46
Gallery
Check out all of the race photos on the photos page
