Saturday's qualifying sessions for the race weekend at MCE Tensfeld in Schleswig-Holstein (19th/20th July) presented the riders in the ADAC MX Masters, the ADAC MX Youngster Cup and the Ladies' Race with a double challenge, as they not only had to cope with the demands imposed by the well-prepared deep sand track of the MCE Tensfeld but also extremely high temperatures rising to 28 degrees. Of the 147 contestants from 25 different countries, there was at least one who revelled in the conditions: sand specialist Marcus Schiffer of Team Suzuki Waldmann. Currently placed third in the championship standings, Schiffer posted a fastest time in qualifying of 01:56.155, just under three-tenths of a second ahead of his rival Marc de Reuver from the Netherlands (BT Motorsport, Honda). "I actually started practising in sand only one week before the event here in Tensfeld, and I'm very pleased that this has paid off today," said the 26-year-old. "However, all of my early career was spent on sandy tracks, and I think that has stood me in good stead here." Third fastest was Frenchman Sébastien Pourcel (KTM Sarholz Racing Team).

Local favourite Davide von Zitzewitz (BvZ Racing Team) qualified only via the Last Chance Race, but at least did so in style, finishing 15 seconds ahead of the field. "The knowledge that Tensfeld is my home track put me under considerable pressure because I was determined to shine here," said the 22-year-old from Karlshof in East Holstein. "This made me really tense up and stopped me putting in a smooth ride."

ADAC MX Youngster Cup

In the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, Luca Nijenhuis (MX Promotion / Gebben Racing, Kawasaki) secured pole position for Sunday's race with a best time of 01:59.963. The Dutch rider was visibly delighted with his result: "I am used to sandy tracks in the Netherlands and do my training almost exclusively on this type of surface. That's why I always associate the motos in Tensfeld with having a fun time." Fellow Dutch rider Calvin Vlaanderen (KTM Bodo Schmidt Motorsports) qualified second, but the 18-year-old was evidently somewhat disappointed with his result: "I had set myself the target of beating Luca, so the fact that I didn't manage to is a bit annoying." Third-best time went to current championship leader Thomas Kjer Olsen from Denmark (STC Racing Honda). Two entrants from the region pulled off a major coup: Jon Mundhenk from Bokel near Pinneberg (Kawasaki) and Nico Busch from Nützen near Bad Segeberg (BvZ Racing Team) became the first ever Class 2 riders to qualify for a Sunday race. They thereby considerably enhanced their reputation as local heroes and gave the home fans something to cheer about. "I am immensely relieved and am very excited about the fact that I have a place at the starting gate," said 20-year-old Mundhenk. "The main thing was to qualify - that meant everything to me."

Ladies' Race

In place of the ADAC MX Junior Cup, which will now be contested on the next-but-one Masters weekend at Gaildorf (Baden-Württemberg), ADAC Schleswig-Holstein together with the 2009 Championship runner-up Larissa Papenmeier-Picoto (Twenty Suspension Suzuki) organised a Ladies' Race. In qualifying, world championship front-runner Kiara Fontanesi from Italy on a Yamaha left all the other riders standing and crossed the line more than three seconds ahead of her pursuers. "I haven't ridden on sand in a long time and had to get used to it again," said the leading female rider in motocross. "But I like the track and I'm quickly getting into my rhythm." The second-best time was posted by Papenmeier-Picoto, currently placed seventh in the world championship. Starting from third will be Anne Borchers who is ranked eighth in the world. Three local riders - Annika Richter (BvZ Racing Team), Anna Schimmer (KTM) and Sophia Incutto (KTM) - qualified tenth, eleventh and twelfth respectively.

Programme

On Sunday, there will be the usual autograph session held next to the ADAC Truck. Six of the top riders from the motocross scene will be available to meet fans between 12.15 and 12.45. The group includes reigning ADAC MX Masters Champion Dennis Ullrich (KTM Sarholz Racing Team), two-time ADAC MX Masters race winner Marcus Schiffer, current high-flyer Pascal Rauchenecker (Cofain Racing Team), world championship contender Kiara Fontanesi, sand specialist Marc de Reuver and local favourite Davide von Zitzewitz.