Euro Moto Nürburgring: Racing to the limit
With its visit to the Nürburgring in the Eifel region, Euro Moto entered the home straight of the 2026 season. At the penultimate race of the year, the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team, led by team boss Werner Daemen, returned to full strength in the Superbike and Pro Superstock 1000 Cup classes. Markus Reiterberger (D), Hannes Soomer (EST), Jan Mohr (A) and Milan Merckelbagh (NL) made up the Superbike quartet. Ouri Bikkems (B), Manuel Schoewer (D) and Julius Ilmberger (D) lined up in the Cup class..With its visit to the Nürburgring in the Eifel region, Euro Moto entered the home straight of the 2026 season. At the penultimate race of the year, the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team, led by team boss Werner Daemen, returned to full strength in the Superbike and Pro Superstock 1000 Cup classes. Markus Reiterberger (D), Hannes Soomer (EST), Jan Mohr (A) and Milan Merckelbagh (NL) made up the Superbike quartet. Ouri Bikkems (B), Manuel Schoewer (D) and Julius Ilmberger (D) lined up in the Pro Superstock class.
Markus Reiterberger was the last of the team to arrive at the Nürburgring, where an unscheduled test day had been organised as early as Thursday. Until Wednesday afternoon, Reiterberger had been travelling through the south of France on behalf of BMW, where in two weeks’ time he will compete in the final and decisive race of the World Endurance Championship, still with a chance of winning the title. “We finished the test with the fastest time,” the Bavarian reported, brimming with anticipation.
The rider from the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team had set his sights high for the two Euro Moto races at the Nürburgring. A trophy was right at the top of Reiterberger’s list, and to achieve this, he and his team worked incredibly hard. Even though he had to take a slight detour via Superpole 1, he secured 6th on the grid in Superpole 2. Although it meant ‘only’ the second row, the gaps to the competition were manageable. The first race of the Euro Moto Superbike proved to be a thrilling affair for riders and fans alike. After the start, Reiterberger had fought his way past his rivals to claim fourth place. From there, he set his sights on defending champion Lukas Tulovic, who was lapping in third place.
At times, Reiterberger was faster than the eventual winner, Twan Smits; he closed the gap to Tulovic and put considerable pressure on the rider in front. In the heat of the moment, Reiterberger braked too late heading towards the Mercedes Arena, and the gap widened again. But even then he didn’t give up and worked his way back onto the Ducati’s tail. Yet closing in is one thing; getting past is quite another. Lukas Tulovic defended his third place with everything the Ducati had to offer, leaving Reiterberger no chance to attack. Finishing a tenth of a second behind, he had to settle for fourth place.
A new race, a new chance, was the motto for the afternoon’s second race. In a frantic start, Markus Reiterberger got through the Mercedes Arena well and held on to fourth place. Once again, the BMW rider gave it his all, squeezing every last drop out of his motorbike and himself, often pushing beyond the limit. And once again, after another fourth-place finish, he went home without a trophy.
“A weekend of ups and downs,” says Reiterberger. “We got off to a great start on Thursday. But as we approached Superpole, just as in the last few Euro Moto races, we made very little improvement whilst the others improved slightly more. But in Superpole I managed to secure sixth place and was half a second faster. I was well aware, though, that it wouldn’t be enough for the podium.” So his team pulled an all-nighter, and once again, by joining forces, they managed to take another step forward.
“I was able to keep up with the top three,” is his analysis of Sunday’s race. “But I couldn’t attack. From the first to the last lap, I gave it my all in every corner; I was at the limit and even beyond it. But it wasn’t enough. We’re close. However, we’ve now reached a level where a few hundredths here and there simply make all the difference. Finishing with a bronze medal twice isn’t particularly satisfying, but the races were great. We know what we need to do for Hockenheim. First of all, a big thank you to my team, especially Werner, who always has my back, and of course to my fans.”
Hannes Soomer could only watch the last few races of the Euro Moto Superbike series from home via live stream. The Estonian had sustained a serious shoulder injury during practice whilst travelling to the World Endurance Championship round in Japan, which forced him to take a long break. The trip to Japan had begun after the Euro Moto race in Most at the end of May. It took until early September for the Estonian to be ready to race again.
Training and the races didn’t come as easily to him as they had at the start of the season. While directly qualifiying for Superpole 2 had been the norm at the start of the year, he got stuck in Superpole 1 for the first time at the Nürburgring and started the races from 10th on the grid, in the third row. In both races at the Nürburgring, following a months-long break from racing, he put up a brave fight against his rivals, securing 10th place in one race and 12th in the other. Nevertheless, the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW rider was not dissatisfied. “First and foremost, I was happy to be back,” he said once the races were over. “But I just wasn’t quite back to my old self yet. My bones have all healed, but my body isn’t quite back to full fitness yet. I was really happy with the first race. In the second, my arm gave me a bit of trouble. A whole weekend like that was probably a bit too much for it. It was a more serious injury after all.”
Whilst his team looks after his well-being during the races and is now well-versed in the use of kinesiology tape, back home he relies on the support of the Estonian Olympic Training Centre. “They took brilliant care of everything,” reports Soomer. “From the operation right through to the rehab.”
Jan Mohr treated himself to a delicious dinner after a hard day’s work at the Nürburgring before setting off on the 600-kilometre journey home to Austria, with his girlfriend and his mechanic helping to drive the motorhome. He finished 12th and 10th in the two races. “The second race was definitely better,” he said. “The pace was similar to the first race, but I got through the first lap better and was able to hold my position. In the second race, I had a few great battles, including with my team-mate Milan Merckelbagh. When Toni Finsterbusch overtook us, we couldn’t keep up. He’s just got a bit more to offer at the moment.”
After Friday’s practice session, Mohr still had a bit to think about. “Unfortunately, we were completely stuck,” he admits without hesitation. “I was setting times just like the day before. Things went better in Saturday’s practice and I managed to improve by 0.8 minutes. Of course, I should have made that step up on Friday, but nothing was working then. Qualifying and the races were okay in the end, and I made the best of it. Somehow, I was just a bit short on speed.”
Milan Merckelbagh had big plans for the penultimate weekend of the Euro Moto Superbike season. As well as riding his BMW, he’d also planned to compete in the European Bagger Cup, which was part of the supporting programme. “I’d already been out and about in Italy for the team,” reported the Dutchman. “That was good fun. Then they asked if I’d do the Nürburgring and I agreed.”
But in the end, the double start didn’t materialise. A major electronic fault on the Harley, which couldn’t be rectified in time for practice, threw a spanner in the works for Merckelbagh and his plans.
All the better, then, that the Dutchman from the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team was able to focus fully on his Euro Moto weekend. As in recent races, the top riders significantly improved their lap times, once again making life very difficult for those in the midfield. After Superpole 1, the BMW rider started both races from 15th on the grid, finishing 13th in both. “I thought the weekend went quite well,” said the Dutchman, summing up his trip to the Eifel. “In practice, I was able to make some good progress with the BMW. It’s a shame the excavator race didn’t go ahead – that would have been good fun. But there was nothing I could do about it. I got off to a good start in the first Superbike race, and the start in the second race was even better. The pace was pretty good too. Towards the end, the rear tyre started to wear out a bit, and on top of that I had a few problems with my forearms, plus a couple of small mistakes on my part, which ultimately cost me a few positions. Still, it wasn’t a bad weekend.”
Pro Superstock 1000 Cup
Ouri Bikkems was on fire at the Nürburgring meeting. In the first race, the Belgian secured his first podium finish in the fiercely contested series with a third-place finish, and both Bikkems and his mechanic were seen shedding the odd tear of joy. “What a weekend,” said Bikkems. “We can look back on a very strong weekend, the absolute highlight of which was Race 1: my very first Euro Moto podium. It’s a result we’ve been looking forward to for so long and for which we’ve worked incredibly hard with the whole team. That makes this podium finish all the more wonderful and special. In Race 2, we naturally wanted to repeat this result. Unfortunately, I couldn’t brake the bike quite enough at the start, which caused me to shift slightly and result in a false start. The penalty: two long laps. After that, it was a case of fighting on until the final lap. I gave it my all, fought my way back up the field and was eventually able to take 4th place. Given the circumstances, we can certainly be satisfied with that. The most important thing is that we’ve once again made great progress with the bike and are getting closer and closer to our goal. We’re now looking forward with confidence to the final race of the season at Hockenheim.”
Manuel Schoewer wasn’t unhappy with his weekend. “Quite okay,” is how he describes his fifth and seventh-place finishes in the races. “I just need a bit of courage at the start to get in there at the front. On Thursday, I was still running in my engine during the first session, and then things went well. The Nürburgring may be my home race, but you can’t do much riding here outside of the race weekend. The results themselves aren’t that great, but my pace was good. But yes, the start and then getting into the first corner – I still need to practise that.”
Julius Ilmberger travelled to a circuit that isn’t really one of his favourites. Yet he put in a creditable performance in the races. “The weekend was definitely very difficult for me,” said the BMW driver. “I did, however, set a time in qualifying that was a second faster than last year, and I’m very happy with that.
On Saturday, I was probably standing a bit too far forward at the start, so my tyre actually touched the white line of the starting grid, which is why I then received a double-long-lap penalty. It was very frustrating – it meant I finished twelfth instead of a possible seventh or eighth place.” The second race also ended with him finishing in 12th place.
The team boss and his riders can still enjoy a week’s break, after which part of the team will head to France for the World Endurance Championship final. The Euro Moto series continues with the final round at Hockenheim on the last weekend of September.
SUPERBIKE
Results and Standings
Euro Moto Superbike Starting Grid
1. 1.22,936 min Twan Smits (NL/Yamaha)
2. 1.23,174 min Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
3. 1.23,273 min Marcel Schrötter (D/BMW)
6. 1.23,708 min Markus Reiterberger (D/BMW)
10. 1.24,340 min Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
12. 1.24,623 min Jan Mohr (A/BMW)
15. 1.24,799 min Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
Euro Moto Superbike Race 1
1. Twan Smits (NL/Yamaha)
2. Marcel Schrötter (D/BMW)
3. Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
4. Markus Reiterberger (D/BMW)
9. Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
12. Jan Mohr (A/BMW)
13. Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
Euro Moto Superbike Race 2
1. Twan Smits (NL/Yamaha)
2. Marcel Schrötter (D/BMW)
3. Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
4. Markus Reiterberger (D/BMW)
10. Jan Mohr (A/BMW)
12. Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
13. Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
Euro Moto Superbike Overall standings after 12 out of 14 races
1. 234,5 Points Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
2. 200,0 Points Marcel Schrötter (D/BMW)
3. 178,0 Points Twan Smits (NL/Yamaha)
4. 156,0 Points Markus Reiterberger (D/BMW)
10. 62,5 Points Jan Mohr (A/BMW)
11. 61,0 Points Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
13. 48,0 Points Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
Pro Superstock 1000 Cup
Results
Pro Superstock Starting Grid
1. 1.26,088 min Max Zachmann (D/BMW)
2. 1.26,219 min Max Jacobsen (D/BMW)
3. 1.26,396 min Paul Fröde (D/Honda)
5. 1.26,990 min Ouri Bikkems (B/BMW)
6. 1.27,196 min Manuel Schoewer (D/BMW)
7. 1.27,355 min Julius Ilmberger (D/BMW)
Pro Superstock 1000 Cup Race 1
1. Paul Fröde (D/Honda)
2. Max Zachmann (D/BMW)
3. Ouri Bikkems (B/BMW)
5. Manuel Schoewer (D/BMW)
12. Julius Ilmberger (D/BMW)
Pro Superstock 1000 Cup Race 2
1. Max Zachmann (D/BMW)
2. Paul Fröde (D/Honda)
3. Sheridan Morais (PT/Ducati)
4. Ouri Bikkems (B/BMW)
7. Manuel Schoewer (D/BMW)
12. Julius Ilmberger (D/BMW)
Pro Superstock 1000 Overall standings
1. 176 Points Paul Fröde (D/Honda)
2. 139 Points Sheridan Morais (PT/Ducati)
3. 123 Points Max Zachmann (D/BMW)
4. 89 Points Ouri Bikkems (B/BMW)
5. 79 Points Manuel Schoewer (D/BMW)
7. 56 Points Ilmberger (D/BMW)
Gallery
Check out all of the race photos on the photos page
