The success of any ADAC MX Masters event is to a large extent dependent on the weather, because sunshine and pleasant ambient temperatures cannot be guaranteed. If the weather stays dry and warm, the ADAC MX Masters can attract well over 10,000 spectators through the gates. If the weather takes a turn for the worse, significantly fewer are willing to brave the conditions and sit or stand around the trackside. In the past ten years, there have been several events at which fans and riders have been severely put to the test. At times like these, patience and resilience are called for.
Of mud, rain and rubber boots
Two of the worst downpours ever experienced at a Masters event came in the 2005 season at Schefflenz and in the 2013 season at Reutlingen. On both occasions, water bucketed down in such volumes that the track became exceptionally slippery and the races turned into veritable mud battles. Sports Commissioner Olaf Noack recalls the situation in Schefflenz (Baden-Württemberg): "We couldn't tell the motorcycles apart any more or read the starting numbers. They were all uniformly brown and filthy." Series photographer Steve Bauerschmidt won a special award for capturing the weather conditions at Reutlingen. His action shot of a completely mud-caked Ron Noffz contesting the ADAC MX Youngster Cup was one of the 2013 Pictures of the Year published in the prestigious sports magazine 'Kicker'.
Almost as wet were the Masters events at Möggers in Austria (2006) and at Emmen in the Netherlands (2012). On race Sunday at Möggers, it was raining so hard that the riders could not get up the steepest slope of the track. Dietmar Lacher, who was Team Manager at the time, had to divert all the contestants around it and then abort the race. Six years later, in the Netherlands, the heavens opened just as the Last Chance Race was about to commence on Saturday. This resulted in the entire circuit being transformed into one big lake. Luckily, though, the races on Sunday were able to proceed as scheduled, because the track at Emmen has an essentially sandy surface that can absorb water rapidly.
The Gaildorf race weekend in July 2012 will live long in the memory. Although the weather forecast had been for rain, nobody could have anticipated that the weather would have such an impact on the organisation of the event. The qualifying heats were held on Saturday despite the heavy downpours, but the Sunday morning session had to be cancelled. The atrocious weather relented towards midday, and the hardy spectators then saw motocross of the highest quality. At the end of the year, MSC Gaildorf were retrospectively judged to have been the best organisers of the 2012 campaign, as the entire team had proved that it is possible to lay on a spectacular event despite the most trying conditions.
Of heat, sunburn and extreme temperatures
An event affected by extreme weather of a different kind was the 2011 ADAC MX Masters at Prisannewitz. A general alert had been issued concerning the exceptional heat wave, with radio stations advising householders to keep windows and doors shut and not to venture outside unless absolutely necessary. The organisers of the Prisannewitz event heeded the warning and on Saturday morning took the unprecedented decision to shorten all the motos by five minutes.
Of snow, hail and sleet
The first Masters event in the history of the racing series in 2005 was in complete contrast to the episode described above. April is a notoriously fickle month, and at Tenstedt, it really lived up to its reputation, showing its very worst side. Instead of spring-like temperatures, the ADAC MX Masters crew, paddock and spectators were confronted with rain, snow, sleet and freezing cold. Yet last year's meeting at Fürstlich Drehna plumbed new depths of cold and precipitation. Snow and ultra-low temperatures tested everyone to their limits: no outside activity could be undertaken without winter jacket, hat and gloves. Anyone who was at either Tensfeld in 2005 or Fürstlich Drehna in 2013 will shiver involuntarily at the mere recollection.
Of wind, thunderstorms and gales
The worst gales in ADAC MX Masters history were experienced at Ried im Innkreis (Austria) in June 2008. In addition to the heavy rain that set in after the Last Chance Race on Saturday, the wind was strong enough to blow the puddles of water up the slopes, to wreck the marquees in the paddock and to cause brief but intense mayhem. The marshals aided by volunteers got to work the following day with spades and shovels to restore the track to a usable state and to enable the races to take place. A year earlier, there had been similar wind speeds at Teutschenthal. The town with its 13,000 inhabitants suffered a violent storm on the Saturday, and the stewards were seriously considering abandoning the event because of the risk to life and limb. It was then decided to exclude the biggest table on the track to ensure the safety of the riders. Here too, quick thinking was needed because of the freak weather conditions.