By Next week marks a new era for Europe’s most touted, prestigious roads scene series, the International Road Racing Championship with Sportbike metal joining the IRRC fray.
Entry numbers for competition enterprises at the Netherlands foremost active roads venue, the Hengelo based Varsselring are modest (that is putting it kindly).
Combined Sportbike, Supersport start-list start numbers total twenty-nine (12 – Sportbike / 18 – Supersport).
Nine nations have representation, UK racers entered include twice TT winner Gary Johnson, Royal Navy Royal Marines Road Race Team’s Brian Fuidge and 2025 Manx Grand Prix winner x2, Jamie Williams.
Czech great Marek Cerveny, Performance Racing Achterhoek’s trio of Ilja Caljouw, Mauro Poncini and Wesley Ankersmid, Amalric Blanc with reigning SBK Champions Never Be Clever Racing additionally compete.
The full provisional IRRC Hengelo Sportbike/Supersport entry-lists, read as follows:
(Title sponsor located near racer’s name)
IRRC Sportbike:
Enzo Ljubisavlievic (France) – Lightning Racing Team
Wally Jacobs (Netherlands) – Racing Team Block
Thomas Wendel (Germany) – TMG21 Racing Team
Patrik Serbousek (Czech Republic) – Motoklub Vecna Jizda, AZ Pneu Mototeam, powered by VK Racing
Yannick Jacops (Belgium) – SJL Racing International Road Race Team
Alexandre Dumoutier (France) – Dumout’ Racing Team
Rutger Peersman (Belgium) – Hoffmann by MRP
Jamie Williams (Isle of Man) – JLG/NCE Racing
Mike Ceuppens (Belgium) – Texas Motors
Wildcards for Hengelo:
Wes Kleinfeld (Netherlands) – WKR
Lloyd Morris (Wales) – Free Palestine
Rolf Bieleveld (Netherlands) – Team Knabbel En Babbel
IRRC Supersport:
Wesley Ankersmid (Netherlands) – Performance Racing Achterhoek
Gary Johnson (England) – Team Schleizer Dreieck
Ilja Caljouw (Netherlands) – Performance Racing Achterhoek
Jonas Stracke (Germany) – Hepelmann Motorsport
Moritz Klaus (Germany) – MK Racing
Amalric Blanc (France) – Never Be Clever Racing Team
Rico Vetter (Germany) – Vetter Racing Performance by SIEVI
Mauro Poncini (Switzerland) – Performance Racing Achterhoek
Alexandre Bigot (France) – Team B2R
Mathieu Rieder (France) – RIM Racing Team
Sebastian Frotscher (Germany) – Team Schleizer Dreieck
Marek Cerveny (Czech Republic) – WRP Wepol Racing
Brian Fuidge (England) – Royal Navy Royal Marines Road Race Team
Matej Vit (Czech Republic) – TME Racing
Mike Mace (England) – MM Racing
Petr Najman (Czech Republic) – Festa Tools by Najmanmotorsport
Jamie Williams (Isle of Man) – JLG/NCE Racing
Wildcards for Hengelo:
Mike Ceuppens (Belgium) – Texas Motors
Permanent Championship rider not included in provisional IRRC Hengelo start-list:
Thierry Vanhollebeke (Belgium) – Racing Tich
Special thanks to Czech road racing statistician, writer, historian Jan Vavra for compiling these lists.
Photo credit: Thijs Van Der Horst
Words by Stevie Rial, Jan Vavra
