Following a serious incident in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship’s Race 1 during the Pirelli Portuguese Round at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, it is with great sadness that we report the passing of rider Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki). BikeReview pass on our condolences…
Steeman was involved in a multi-rider incident at Turn 14, with the race immediately red flagged. Medical personnel and vehicles arrived at the site immediately and the rider was attended to trackside and at the circuit medical centre before being transferred by helicopter to Faro Hospital. Despite the best efforts of the circuit’s medical staff, marshals and hospital staff, Steeman has sadly succumbed to his injuries.
See Victor Steeman’s Career Highlights Here…
A statement from the family read: “Something you have always been afraid of as a parent of a motorcycle racer has now happened. Our Victor could not win this last race. Despite the unbearable loss and grief, we are extremely proud to share with you that our hero, through his passing, 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 over the past few days. We will miss our Victor enormously.”
Steeman was enjoying a superb 2022 FIM Supersport 300 Championship campaign and came into the Pirelli Portuguese Round with a mathematical chance of clinching the World Championship. With four wins, five podiums and three pole positions to his name this season, he took 12 points-scoring finishes out of 14 races. He also signed his name in the history books with pole position at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, becoming the rider with the most pole positions in the WorldSSP 300 class.
Steeman brought an infectious personality to the paddock but was also a strong competitor on the track, consistently fighting at the front of the field in WorldSSP300 as well in other championships that he competed in prior and during his World Championship successes.
Steeman, 22, made his WorldSSP300 debut in 2018, after two seasons in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, when competing for the KTM Fortron Junior Team, completing two races at Portimao and Magny-Cours; scoring a point on his debut in Portugal to show the leading talent he would become over his time in WorldSSP300.
A first full season followed in 2019, for the Freudenberg KTM Junior Team, with Steeman taking points in all but one race throughout the season including four top-six finishes. It was a sign of things to come as his incredible talent continued to develop. 2019 was also the year he claimed his first pole position, at Jerez, showing his one-lap pace, which he’d continue to demonstrate in the Championship, with him being the all-time pole positions record holder with six at the time of his passing.
Steeman’s 2020 season was spent in the German IDM championship, a return to where he had experienced so much success previously. In 2018, he claimed two wins, eight podiums and two pole positions on his way to third in the standings, whilst he finished fifth in 2020 as he focused solely on competing in Germany and the Netherlands, where he was Supersport Champion. Another win and two pole positions came in 2020, whilst he also made a one-off appearance in IDM in 2021 and took victory.
2021 also heralded a return to WorldSSP300 on a full-time basis, again running KTM machinery but for the Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team, and both his one-lap speed and race management skills were shining by this point. Two pole positions, on home soil at the TT Circuit Assen and on the Championship’s first visit to the Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic. He was able to convert the pole position at Most into victory to take his first of five in the Championship and KTM’s last win to date.
For the 2022 season, Steeman made the switch to MTM Kawasaki, and his talent and personality shone brighter than ever before. Four more wins followed as he mounted a title challenge against Alvaro Diaz (Arco Motor University Team) and Marc Garcia (Yamaha MS Racing), with his switch to Kawasaki rewarding him straight away. He took victory on home soil at Assen in Race 1 as well as at Most, Magny-Cours and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Often at the front of the field during 2022, Steeman was a shining star on both the world stage and in domestic championships.
Always optimistic about his chances, in races and in Championships, Steeman kept the 2022 title fight going until the last round despite the odds being stacked against him with the points difference to Diaz. Steeman’s presence and character within the paddock will be greatly missed. Charismatic, polite and always with a sense of humour, Steeman brought success to his teams, a fierce competitive nature to the track but, above all else, pride, warmth and charm to all those within the WorldSBK paddock.
