By Full round up of some of the most enterprising stats from a truly gripping season of IRRC (International Road Racing Championship) competition.
Superbike champion Sebastien Le Grelle is only the second rider to win the big bike IRRC crown on more than one occasion.
Whilst Supersport champion Joey Den Besten becomes the third rider to clinch the 600 title twice, following in the footsteps of 2012/2013 winner Laurent Hoffmann and dominant force of 2015 and 2016, Marek Cerveny.
The Czech roads great, runner up this year in the Superbike class, becomes the seventh different series runner up in eight years.
2014/2015 championship runner up Johan Fredriks was the leading non BMW mounted rider of 2017, finishing fifth in the final overall standings, as BMW Motorrad once again dominated the 1000cc category.
Leading series newcomer was Markka Racing’s Erno Kostamo, finishing a more than creditable fourth in the championship.
Winner of the opening IRRC Superbike encounter at Imatranajo, the famous Finnish roads meeting was one of two venues this year alongside Frohburg which saw event wildcards claim IRRC honours in the form of Michael Rutter and Penz 13 BMW’s Danny Webb.
Photo by Robby Repsol
In total six different riders this season secured Supersport victories they were champion Joey Den Besten, Thomas Walther, Pierre Yves Bian, Kamil Holan, Davy Thoonen and Laurent Hoffmann.
Sole Honda representatives within the Supersport class where Switzerland’s Arnaud Seydoux and Ilja Caljouw, who at the final round at Frohburg competed under the Performance Racing Achterhoek banner.
Other manufacturers who’s representation was pretty slim included Suzuki, there was though positives a plenty to be taken from 2017 continental European roads competition, as GSX-R 600 mounted Jochen Rotter finished an excellent fifth in the final championship standings.
Combined Supersport and Superbike, nine manufacturers enjoyed representation including Suter courtesy of Henrik Voit.
Photo by Robby Repsol
For the first time in four years the popular Netherlands based Oss circuit was not on the IRRC calendar, replaced this year by Germany’s oldest street circuit, Schleizer Dreieck.
2017 marked the fourth year in a row that the International Road Racing Championship has been run over six rounds.
Words by Stevie Rial
