Mon 16 Sep, 10:31 Read aloud Sports Hengelo
Fatal accident casts shadow over IRRC Frohburg
Door Damon Teerink
HENGELO – The Hengelose Performance Racing Team Achterhoek concluded the International Road Race Championship (IRRC) with a second and third place in the final standings of the Supersport championship. This happened in the weekend of Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 September in the German Frohburg. However, the weekend was overshadowed by a fatal accident. The 32-year-old Italian Luca Salvadori died after a fall.
The team from Hengelo started with four riders during the last round of the IRRC season in Frohburg. All eyes were on the IRRC Supersport class this time, because protégé Adam McLean started the race weekend as the leader in the championship with 186 points, just three points ahead of his competitor, the Czech Marek Cerveny. We also saw Ilja Caljouw and Hengeloër Wesley Ankersmid competing in the Supersport. Jorn Hamberg held the honor high in the IRRC Superbike category.
Downer
During the first Supersport race, Northern Irishman Adam McLean suffered a technical problem with his Yamaha bike. A big disappointment for the team and rider, because they had a big claim to the IRRC Supersport title. During the second race he came second but due to his bad luck he missed out on the title in the Supersport category. With a second place in the final standings it is still an excellent result for McLean who missed one race and started as a newcomer in the IRRC championship.
Ilja Caljouw came in third and fifth, achieving third place in the IRRC Supersport championship. This puts the Hengelo racing team in a great second and third place in the IRRC Supersport championship. Regional driver Wesley Ankersmid scored a 19th and 21st position during the races in Germany.
comeback
Jorn Hamberg made his comeback in IRRC Superbike after a one-race absence. He missed the penultimate round in the Czech Republic due to the birth of his son, Rowin. Upon his return during the final race weekend, the Kawasaki rider managed to do well with two podium finishes. After a strong first race, he crossed the finish line in third place. In the second race, Hamberg fought for the podium again. He struck in the last corner of the last lap. With a thrilling move, Hamberg crossed the finish line in second place. With this, the rider from Drenthe finished in fifth place during his debut year in IRRC Superbike.
Fatal accident
The final round of the IRRC in Frohburg was overshadowed by a fatal accident on Saturday evening. The 32-year-old Italian Luca Salvadori died after a crash in the first round of the Superbike & Superstock race. Salvadori, also a popular influencer in Italy, succumbed to his injuries during the night from Saturday to Sunday. The cheerful Italian made his debut earlier this year during the Road Races in Hengelo and convincingly won both races. He was a real crowd favorite in Hengelo, just like the German Didier Grams who was also involved in the accident. According to the latest reports, the injuries of the sympathetic German are not life-threatening.
This brought the 2024 IRRC championship to a very sad end. Despite good results for the Performance Racing Team Achterhoek, the race weekend in Germany was looked back on with a knot in the stomach and a huge black edge.
