Saturday October 8 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, in Portimão in Portugal, Race 1 of the Supersport 300 category was stopped after a few minutes due to a collision involving the Dutchman Victor Steeman and Spaniard José Luis Pérez Gonzalez in turn 14.
Victor Steeman has been very seriously injured in the head, before receiving first aid on site then being placed in an artificial coma and being transported by helicopter to Faro hospital. He underwent emergency surgery there Saturday evening, to relieve pressure on his swollen brain.
Unfortunately, the 22-year-old rider remained in critical condition until today when we sadly learned from the official WorldSBK website that he had passed away.
The young Dutchman had a classic career, starting with Minimoto in the Netherlands and Belgium then the 250 Junior Cup in 2015, before being selected for the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2016 and 2017.
Alongside the IDM German Championship where he obtained two victories, eight podiums, two pole positions and the final 3rd place, 2018 saw him take his first steps in Supersport 300 during two races at Portimão and Magny-Cours, before performing his first full season in 2019 under the colors of the Freudenberg KTM Junior Team. A great season rewarded with 5th place overall, after scoring his first pole position and four finishes in the top 6.
In 2020, Victor Steeman returned to the 2018 IDM German Championship, this time part-time in the Supersport category, to finish 5th at the end of the season.
Return to WorldSSP300 in 2021, still on a KTM from the Freudenberg team, where he scored two pole positions at Assen and Most, as well as his first victory in Supersport 300, again at Most, before concluding the season in 10th position.
With this acquired experience, Victor Steeman
then moved to MTM Kawasaki in 2022, where he scored four more successes which allowed him to fight for the world title against Alvaro Diaz.
Unfortunately, the story ends there for this young pilot who pays for his passion with his life, and all our thoughts go to his family and friends.
A statement from Victor’s family: “ What you always feared as the parent of a motorcycle rider has now happened. Our Victor could not win this last race. Despite the loss and the unbearable grief, we are extremely proud to share with you the fact that our hero, through his death, was able to save 5 other people by donating his organs. We would like to thank everyone for the way you have lived with us these past few days. We will miss our Victor greatly. »
