Scene set at Assen for first ADAC Northern Europe Cup race

First race weekend in 2017 sees the cup join WorldSBK at the historic TT Circuit Assen

The ADAC Northern Europe Cup will get its second season under way this weekend, 28th - 30th April, with the Moto3™ series staged under the banner of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in Assen, the Netherlands. As in its inaugural year, the ADAC NEC will again be split into a Standard and a Grand Prix class for 2017. Riders will line up together, but points will be allocated separately. After their first joint training session at Misano in Italy, riders are itching to get the season started.

The ADAC NEC will kick off for riders at 12:55 local time on Friday (GMT +1) with an initial 20-minute practice session. The first qualifying of the year, also taking place on Friday, will be at 17:40. A second race against the clock lasting 35 minutes will be held on Saturday at 16:25 with the combined times from both qualifying sessions deciding positions on the grid for the first race over 13 laps, which starts on Sunday at 16:10.

ADAC Northern Europe Cup of 2017

Interesting new entrants in Standard class

The Standard class, in which identical Honda NSF250 machines are used, will again feature an interesting field with a varied mix of experienced riders and newcomers for 2017. Marvin Siebdrath (13, GER) is one of the 13 rookies: "Fortunately, I already know the track at Assen quite well, as we've often practised there and have even contested two races at the circuit. I only have good memories of Assen.”

Siebdrath has trained a lot, both on different motorcycles and in the gym to prepare for the start of the season: "I feel really well prepared, and practice in Misano helped a lot, because we were able to do some more work on fine-tuning setup." The goal in the first race for the 13-year-old is a place in the Top Five. "But the competition will be tough.”

Leon Orgis (15, GER), on the other hand, has already had a year's experience. "I've been to Assen five or six times. I like the track and feel quite confident there even if it rains. I'm sure I can achieve a good result at Assen," said the Kiefer Racing rider. "I think we're well prepared as far as fitness goes. We'll have to get the racing lines sorted right from the start in first practice, and then if everything goes well, I can feel very confident about the season's first race."

Changes in the GP class

The field of entrants in the Grand Prix class looks just as varied with a number of new entrants are joining the more experienced riders in the field. Jan-Ole Jähnig (16, GER) is moving up from the ADAC Junior Cup powered by KTM to the next higher category: "Of course, I know the Assen circuit really well. It's one of my favourite tracks. I've even raced in the rain on the TT circuit, but if the weather gets bad, we'll have to see first how the wet weather tyres behave in the ADAC NEC. They're new to me. I would definitely feel more comfortable in the dry. We'll just have to see how strong the competition is."

ADAC Northern Europe Cup of 2017

The 2017 ADAC Northern Europe Cup schedule

28/04/17 - 30/04/17 Assen, NL World Superbike

19/05/17 - 21/05/17 Oschersleben Endurance World Championship (2 races)

26/05/17 - 28/05/17 Donington Park World Superbike (2 races)

30/06/17 - 02/07/17 Sachsenring MotoGP

04/08/17 - 06/08/17 Brünn, CZE MotoGP

08/09/17 - 10/09/17 Silverstone British Superbike Championship (2 races)

29/09/17 - 01/10/17 Assen, NL British Superbike Championship (2 races)