06 Oct 7th victory for Schmidt at the Superbiker
Once again this year, the Superbiker 2024 at Mettet offered its numerous spectators spectacular racing and an incomparable atmosphere. Marc-Reiner Schmidt won for the 7th time, also taking the S1GP world title. The weekend was also marked by Thomas Chareyre’s emotional farewell and the performances of Belgian Romain Kaivers.
This weekend, the Circuit Jules Tacheny was once again transformed into the temple of supermoto for the 37th edition of the Superbiker, held from 4 to 6 October 2024 in Mettet. The circuit also played host to the final of the S1GP Supermoto World Championship, much to the delight of the 20,000 fans who turned out for the occasion.
Spectacular clash for the Superbiker grand final
Sunday’s Superbiker Grand Final was the culmination of a weekend of thrilling racing, with 16 of the best riders in the S1GP World Championship competing against the best riders from the qualifying rounds. Among them were Belgium’s Romeo Fiorentino, winner of the American-style race, Evan Gourmet, a young talent from the Belgian Motorcycle Academy, and Great Britain’s Davey Todd, two-time winner of the Isle of Man TT.
Marc-Reiner Schmidt was the clear favourite after his victories in 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023, and his sole objective was to win the Superbiker for the seventh time in his career. Despite the efforts of Lukas Höllbacher, who made life difficult for him, Schmidt, king of Mettet, finally emerged victorious and went on to claim his 7th Superbiker victory. Höllbacher finished 2nd, while Steve Bonnal climbed onto the 3rd step of the podium.
Schmidt crowned S1GP World Champion
The final round of the S1GP World Supermoto Championship also took place at Mettet this weekend, offering the public some intense and hotly contested racing. Lukas Höllbacher, who missed the start of the season due to an operation, made his comeback at the Belgian GP. On Saturday, the impressive Austrian rider (KTM) pushed Marc-Reiner Schmidt to the limit, winning the first two races. Despite this, the German (L30 Racing TM Moto), with his two second places, clinched his fourth world championship title. On Sunday, he did it again, taking first place in the Superfinal ahead of Frenchmen Thomas Chareyre (SGR Grau Racing) and Steve Bonnal (Team Undici).
Romain Kaivers shines in Mettet
Belgian Romain Kaivers finished 6th in the S1GP world rankings, a great source of pride for Belgium. As for the Superbiker, he achieved a superb 5th place after a fantastic comeback from 18th place. This result earned him the Georges Jobé Trophy for the third time in his career, rewarding the best Belgian in the Superbiker rankings.
Durand, Cluydts and Sharp also score in Superbiker
The Junior Superbiker Trophy was fiercely contested between Tom Rolin (Belgian Motorcycle Academy) and Valentin Durand (Luc1), but in the end it was the latter who came out on top, winning the competition for the second year running. Frenchman Antonin Chevolleau rounded off the podium.
The quad event was dominated by the Belgian home riders. Maxim Cluydts (1st/1st) won the Superquader. Maxime Lombet (2nd/2nd) and Jeremy Mikels (4th/3rd) completed the podium in second and third place respectively.
As for the Senior Superbiker Trophy, for riders aged 45 and over, it was won hands down by Richard Sharp. The Briton gave no chance to his two rivals of the day, Thomas Gillisson and Koen Roos (3rd in the BeNeCup Supermoto 2024 Championship), who rounded off the podium in that order. Local rider Frédéric Fiorentino put in a fine performance on his 2024 Ténéré 700, a bike originally designed for trail riding. A first at the Mettet Superbiker.
Freddy Tacheny, President of the ASBL RUMESM (Royal Union Entre Sambre et Meuse): ‘Every year, we do our utmost to innovate and come up with new ideas to make the Superbiker even more dynamic. This year, our brand new Fan Zone, with its many stalls and events, created a huge buzz. The After Race Festival, introduced in 2022, confirmed its success with two electrifying evenings. These new features fit perfectly into a sporting atmosphere marked by great emotion, with Marc-Reiner Schmidt’s victory on the one hand and Thomas Chareyre’s touching farewell on the other. We’re also proud to continue to attract the world’s best drivers in their categories, including our Belgian compatriot Romain Kaivers, who is putting Belgium’s colours on the world stage. All this is the result of hard work to constantly innovate and offer our fans a unique experience. Tired but delighted, we look forward to seeing you next year, on the second weekend in October, for another edition full of surprises.
