Challenging start despite strong pace

The opening round of the 2026 EURO MOTO Supersport season at Sachsenring delivered mixed conditions and a demanding start to the weekend for Dirk Geiger and Team APRECO.

Riding the Yamaha R9, Geiger showed strong pace from the beginning, despite limited dry track time and challenging weather conditions throughout Friday.

“The weekend was a bit difficult for us because we expected a little bit more,” Geiger explained. “Friday didn’t really help us because we basically had no dry sessions before going into the races.”

With only one proper dry session before race conditions, the team had to carefully balance risk and preparation. To maximise tyre usage and allow for further setup work, a strategic decision was made to skip Q1 and focus fully on Q2.

Pole position despite limited dry track time

Despite the challenging conditions and limited opportunities to fully prepare, Geiger immediately showed competitive speed once the track dried.

The strategy paid off in qualifying, where Dirk Geiger secured pole position with a 1:24.410, giving him the ideal starting position for the opening races.

“We had good pace and good speed,” Geiger said. “Up until that point, everything actually looked pretty positive.”

Strong opening race despite tyre limitations

Starting from pole, Geiger remained fully in the fight at the front during Race 1. However, tyre performance became a limiting factor over race distance.

“In the first race, we struggled a bit with the tyre,” Geiger explained. “In the end, it actually wasn’t too bad because we were fully in the fight, but I just couldn’t attack the way I wanted to.”

Despite the challenges, Geiger secured second place in Race 1, missing victory by only 0.040 seconds while setting a competitive pace throughout the race.

Another podium despite late setback in Race 2

Following setup changes that worked well during warm-up, confidence heading into Race 2 was high.

“We tried a few things that worked really well in warm-up,” said Geiger. “I knew exactly what I needed to do, and I followed the plan.”

For much of the race, everything appeared to be under control, with Geiger feeling comfortable and competitive aboard the Yamaha R9.

“Until around eleven laps before the end, I felt really good and had everything under control. The bike was working super well,” he explained.

However, an unexpected issue affected the final outcome, preventing him from fully executing the race as planned. Despite the setback, Geiger secured another second-place finish in Race 2, crossing the line just 3.817 seconds behind the winner while also setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:24.428.

Strong championship position after opening round

Despite not fully meeting his own expectations, the Sachsenring weekend delivered a strong foundation for the season ahead.

“Two second places is okay,” Geiger reflected. “It’s not exactly what I expected from myself, but we will definitely keep pushing.”

With 40 championship points after the opening round, Dirk Geiger leaves Sachsenring in second position in the overall EURO MOTO Supersport standings, providing a strong starting point for the remainder of the season.