Euro Moto: Fierce races in the furnace of Most

June 29, 2026

The Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon BMW team enjoyed a weekend that was hot in every sense of the word at the third round of the former IDM – now known as Euro Moto – in Most, Czech Republic. Team boss Werner Daemen was arrived with his four Superbike riders: Markus Reiterberger (D), Hannes Soomer (EST), Jan Mohr (A) and Milan Merckelbagh (NL), as well as the three Pro Superstock 1000 Cup riders Manuel Schoewer (D), Julius Ilmberger (D) and Ouri Bikkems (B). Temperatures were forecast to be well over 30 degrees, and the challenges for both riders and machines were great.

Markus Reiterberger had secured victory in the first race during the visit to Brno. At Most, the rider from Team Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW didn’t have it all go his way in the practice sessions. In the third free practice session, he completed a full race distance of 16 laps. Reiterberger was not satisfied with 8th on the grid, which meant a place on the third row. “There are a few problems,” he reported during Euro Moto’s free live stream, “and things aren’t going to plan. Eighth on the grid is poor, but I’m hoping for consistency in the race.” However, the Bavarian struggled to get the first race right. Although he was initially in the chasing pack, he was unable to mount an attack and crossed the line in seventh place, eight seconds behind the winner, Lukas Tulovic. In the second race, with air temperatures now over 40 degrees and track temperatures around 70 degrees, the same scenario played out and he finished seventh again.

“That was a dramatic weekend,” was Reiterberger’s summary. “We made a lot of changes to the bike and tried out many different options. I gave it my all and at times pushed beyond my limits. I just didn’t have a good feel for the bike and, as a result, couldn’t find the pace to make it onto the podium. For the second race, we made a few more changes and I got off to a good start. I benefited slightly from the scramble in the first corner and came out in fifth place. Then I was able to keep up reasonably well. Unfortunately, I then had a massive slide and had to give up a few positions.”

“The change didn’t have the desired effect,” Reiterberger concluded. “I really gave it my all and I’m also satisfied with my own performance, but the package simply didn’t work for this track and the overall conditions this weekend. I’d like to thank my team for working so hard again this weekend. I hope things will go better at the next Euro Moto event.”

Hanners Soomer had missed the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team’s last Euro Moto outing in Brno, instead stepping in as a stand-in for the BMW team in the Superbike World Championship at Misano in Italy. “But now I’m glad to be back with my Euro Moto team,” he said before leaving his home country of Estonia. The heat at Most left the man from north-eastern Europe relatively unfazed, and he set the pace in the first two free practice sessions. After Superpole 2, he was only beaten by last year’s defending champion and secured a place on the front row with second place.

The start of the first race went quite well, but over the race distance the Estonian couldn’t quite keep up with the pace of the leaders. Towards the end of the race, Toni Finsterbusch also on a BMW managed to squeeze past Soomer, who consequently finished sixth. The second race on Sunday in the sweltering heat of Most was similarly tough and ended with the same result.

“We simply couldn’t get the special Pirelli tyres to work properly for any of us,” said team boss Werner Daemen, assessing the situation, “so we simply had no grip. Otherwise, things didn’t go badly, but the results weren’t really good; we just couldn’t get to grips with the tyre issue.”

“Actually a good weekend,” says Soomer, “but a mixed Sunday. We lacked a bit of pace in the hotter conditions today. I’m sure we’ll get that sorted by Oschersleben, because I felt good on the bike.”

Jan Mohr remained calm when looking at the weather forecast and the temperatures. “Yes, it’s going to be hot,” he stated. “But we’re ready to go.” The Austrian rider from the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team started the races from 11th on the grid. In the first race, it looked for a long time as though he might finish in the top ten, but on the final lap Mohr was forced to yield to an attack from his team-mate Milan Merckelbagh, ultimately finishing in tenth place. In the second race, the temperature gauge had climbed to over 40 degrees, whilst track temperatures had soared to 68 degrees. And suddenly, after the first lap, Mohr found himself trailing far behind the field. “I had a tricky moment,” he revealed afterwards. “In the final corner of the first lap, my motorbike suddenly cut out, and then I think Lorenzo Zanetti made contact with me as well. I went through the gravel trap, stopped, switched the bike off and on again, and everything was fine.

“I’d already had the problem during the second practice session, after which my mechanics replaced a relay,” he explained. “In the race, of course, it happened at a very inopportune moment. As there were only 16 riders on the grid, I rejoined the race. I didn’t have to push to the limit either, as the field was a long way behind. And it paid off – in the end I finished in 13th place. The lads will check my bike and sort out the problem before Oschersleben, so I’m not worried about that.”

Milan Merckelbagh had made the journey from the relatively cool Netherlands to the hot Czech Republic. “The track temperatures were over 60 degrees,” remarked the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW rider, quite astonished after practice. “I feel comfortable on the bike, but I still need to pick up the pace a bit.” In Superpole, the thermometer climbed towards 40 degrees. “I gave it my all,” Merckelbagh assured afterwards, having finished 16th.

In Race 1 on Sunday, the heat hadn’t let up one bit. Yet the Dutchman attacked bravely and, on the final lap, overtook his team-mate Jan Mohr to secure 9th place, his best result of the season so far. On an even hotter Sunday, the Dutchman persevered undaunted and brought home the points for 11th place. “I struggled a bit in practice,” said Merckelbagh, “so I had to start from quite far back. Things got pretty heated in the first corner of the first race, but I knew my pace compared to the others. Around the middle of the race, I overtook Marco Fetz. After that, I managed to close the gap on Leon Orgis and Lorenzo Zanetti. On the final lap, I had a good battle with Jan Mohr. Finishing ninth has given me a lot of confidence.”

“In the second race, I couldn’t maintain the pace over the distance,” said Merckelbagh, analysing the second race. “But I was still confident and wanted to pick up as many points as possible. Even so, I’m happy with 11th place. It was a lot better than in the last few races, and I want to build on that at Oschersleben. But it really was one of the toughest races I’ve ever ridden.”

In the Pro Superstock 1000 Cup, it was Manuel Schoewer who raised the temperature in the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW pit by a few extra degrees in the first race. The 30-year-old rode straight onto the podium in his second outing since his comeback. “Yes, a place on the podium like that is always nice,” said Schoewer. “Although I have to admit that the trophy was handed to me on a plate. Dominik Blersch retired ahead of me with a mechanical failure and Max Zachmann, also ahead of me, crashed.” In the second race on Sunday, Schoewer finished in fifth place. “It was too hot,” was his clear statement. “The pace was good, but the heat got the better of me – I couldn’t have done any more.”

Meanwhile, in Race 2, Julius Ilmberger and Ouri Bikkems provided the spectacle in the chasing pack, engaging in a fierce battle and crossing the line in 8th and 9th places respectively. Bikkems had finished fourth on Saturday and Ilmberger ninth. “Most was absolutely scorching,” reports Bikkems, “and I’d never been there before. But my lap times were promising right from the start. In the first race on Saturday, I had a great battle with my team-mate. On Sunday it was even hotter and I didn’t get off to the best start. But I managed to make up a few places and learnt a lot over the whole weekend. A huge thank you to my team for their incredible work throughout the weekend. Working in these extreme temperatures isn’t easy, but they never stopped giving 100 per cent to provide me with the best possible motorbike. I really appreciate all their hard work and dedication.”

“‘Warm’ is probably about right,” said Julius Ilmberger when asked about the weekend’s temperatures. “I’m not unhappy – I set a new personal best in qualifying. My race pace was good too, given the conditions. Of course, you always want a better result, but I’m not dissatisfied.”

Half of the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team are heading off for a four-week break from Euro Moto following their trip to sweltering Most, before action resumes at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben at the end of July. The other half of the team set off for Prague after the races and a cold shower; from there, team boss Werner Daemen, amongst others, travelled on to Japan. The World Endurance Championship continues there at Suzuka this coming weekend.

SUPERBIKE
Results and Standings

Euro Moto Superbike Starting Grid

1. 1.32,519 min Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
2. 1.32,695 min Marcel Schrötter (D/BMW)
3. 1.32,799 min Twan Smits (NL/Yamaha)
4. 1.32,852 min Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
8. 1.33,130 min Markus Reiterberger (D/BMW)
11. 1.33,643 min Jan Mohr (A/BMW)
16. 1.34,825 min Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)

Euro Moto Superbike Race 1

1. Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
2. Florian Alt (D/Honda)
3. Marcel Schrötter (D/BMW)
6. Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
7. Markus Reiterberger (D/BMW)
9. Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
10. Jan Mohr (A/BMW)

Euro Moto Superbike Race 2

1. Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
2. Florian Alt (D/Honda)
3. Twan Smits (NL/Yamaha)
6. Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
7. Markus Reiterberger (D/BMW)
11. Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)
13. Jan Mohr (A/BMW)

Euro Moto Superbike Overall standings after 6 out of 14 races

1. 129 Points Lukas Tulovic (D/Ducati)
2. 96 Points Marcel Schrötter (D/BMW)
3. 87 Points Florian Alt (D/Honda)
4. 85 Points Markus Reiterberger (D/BMW)
8. 49 Points Hannes Soomer (EST/BMW)
11. 32 Points Jan Mohr (A/BMW)
13. 19 Points Milan Merckelbagh (NL/BMW)

PRO SUPERSTOCK CUP
Results and Standings

Qualifying

1. Paul FRÖDE DEU 1:34.818
2. Sheridan MORAIS POR 1:35.138
3. Max ZACHMANN DEU 1:35.520
5. Manuel SCHOEWER DEU 1:35.849
8. Julius ILMBERGER DEU 1:36.443
9. Ouri BIKKEMS BEL 1:36.494

Race 1

1. Paul FRÖDE DEU
2. Sheridan MORAIS POR
3. Manuel SCHOEWER DEU
4. Ouri BIKKEMS BEL
7. Julius ILMBERGER DEU

Race 2

1. Paul FRÖDE DEU
2. Sheridan MORAIS POR
3. Max ZACHMANN DEU
5. Manuel SCHOEWER DEU
8. Ouri BIKKEMS BEL
9. Julius ILMBERGER DEU

Overall standings

1. Paul FRÖDE DEU 95
2. Sheridan MORAIS POR 75
3. Max ZACHMANN DEU 52
4. Manuel SCHOEWER DEU 49
5. Ouri BIKKEMS BEL 48
9. Julius ILMBERGER DEU 24