"Actually, I was a very late starter," said ADAC MX Youngster Cup driver Nico Adler with a laugh. "I didn't get properly interested in motocross until I was six years old when my father bought me my first 50cc KTM machine and told me that I could even enter competitions on it. That spurred me on." A decision that the 15-year-old still does not regret to this day; in 2008, when not quite ten years old, he became champion for the federal state of Saxony and secured the East German LVMX Masters championship title. One year later, the young schoolboy went on to build on that success by not only winning the championship in Saxony and the East German championship once again, he also finished first in the German DMV Kids Cup 65. The young star is now a triple-winner in the Saxon championship, plus Supercup winner and German Vice-Champion.

"These victories have once more confirmed to me that I'm on the right track. Motocross is my life. It's no longer just a hobby, because I invest too much time in the sport for that," said Nico. The young rider is especially pleased about this year's ADAC MX Masters opening event in Fürstlich Drehna. And the reason: The teenager is a member of MSC Drehna and has a home advantage at the Rund um den Mühlberg track. "I know the sandy 1,650 metre Fürstlich Drehna track inside out. It's my favourite. I like the texture of the soil. There are plenty of bumps and great opportunities for jumping. I think it's great," said the motocrosser, who lives just 45 minutes away from Fürstlich Drehna with his mother Kathrin, father Steffen and sister Belinda.

2014 marks Nico's third year in the ADAC MX Masters. After first taking part in the ADAC MX Junior Cup in 2012 and slotting nicely into the top ten in that class before his injury in 2013, the motocrosser is really keen to qualify for Sunday's races this year. "The ADAC MX Youngster Cup represents a completely fresh challenge, firstly, because the level is quite a bit higher and secondly, I'm up against a great many, excellent competitors," said the young rider.

But it is precisely these conditions that seem to motivate the 15-year-old even more. Nico has been fit again since January and has been training six times a week. He either goes jogging after school or spends many hours in the gym or trains on his motocross bike at the track. The young motocrosser competes for Kalli-Racing team and has sponsors that include metconn GmbH and the ADAC Sachsen 'A' team. He also gets support from his father Steffen and his friend and coach Jürgen Künzel. "Jürgen is a record-breaking Super Moto champion and holds several German and American championship titles. Thanks to his years of experience, he can give me lots of helpful advice and help me cut down the mistakes I make. He's very disciplined and has taught me how to stay focused and not get quickly distracted so that I can produce my best performance," said Nico.

The ADAC MX Youngster Cup rider accepts professional support willingly, because he hates to lose. "I'm extremely ambitious, so I find that dealing with failure is not one of my strengths. However, I'm not a daredevil driver. I'm fast, but always try to be careful out on track," said the 15-year-old, describing his tactics. His recipe for success for 2014 – be well-prepared for the race, take a moment to calm down before the start and then win through against opponents in a self-confident, fair manner.