After a very successful season opener in Fürstlich Drehna at the end of April, the second ADAC MX Masters event in the Austrian town of Ried im Innkreis was a real show-stopper. Approximately 8,000 fans came through the gates at the 1,900-metre track on the former Asenham military training ground run by HSV Ried during the Whitsun weekend to witness some spectacular motocross action. The clay track's outstanding features - one of the longest start straights in the series, plus many cleverly constructed jumps. In addition, the area known as the Güpl is one of the most scenic in the whole of Austria. The course makes good use of the Güpl's natural topography with many uphill and downhill sections. Last year, the track was the second most popular Masters event on the calendar.
Riders in class one had an especially hard time on race Sunday. Temperatures of 30 degrees and the constant heat from the blazing sun really made the MX stars perspire. And yet, there was no sign on the track of anyone suffering too much from the enervating weather. ADAC MX Masters driver Marcus Schiffer (Team Suzuki Waldmann) was impressive despite his still tender shoulder and was pleased to secure victory on the day at the end of race Sunday. "I've only sat on the bike twice since the Masters event in Fürstlich Drehna and couldn't really train due to injury. But I wanted to ride come what may because no way did I want to score a big fat zero twice, which would have been my reward for a no-show. But I never really expected such a great result," he said with delight. Local driver Pascal Rauchenecker (Cofain Racing KTM) was wreathed in smiles after his two races in the sun. The 21-year-old was second on the day, and so took the lead in the championship. "All my friends are at the track and I'm just so proud to have given such a good account of myself here. It could hardly have gone better. Plus the fact that I've now overtaken ADAC MX Masters Champion Dennis Ullrich (KTM Sarholz Racing Team) in the standings will make the next race in Aichwald all the more exciting," said Rieder.
ADAC MX Youngster Cup
After the championship leader in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, Jorge Zaragoza (Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Ofeil) was forced to miss this race weekend due to injury, Dutch rider Calvin Vlaanderen (KTM Bodo Schmidt Motorsports) seized his chance to book two successful runs. With a P2 and a P1, the 17-year-old was winner of the day in class two. "I had a really great start, but braked too quickly to begin with and then had to fight hard against the competition. Conditions were far from perfect, so I'm obviously very proud of my final achievement," said the ADAC MX Youngster Cup rider. Polish rider Tomasz Wysocki (KTM Fahrer) took second place. The 20-year-old had already impressed on Saturday with a third place in qualifying and was more than satisfied with his points: "I like the track very much and gave it my all here. I'm feeling quite relaxed for the moment, but things could be completely turned around in the next race," said the motocrosser. Danish rider Thomas Kjer Olsen (STC Racing Honda) finished third.
ADAC MX Junior Cup
Today's ADAC MX Junior Cup was dominated by Danish youngster Mikkel Haarup (MEFO Sport Racing Team, KTM). The 12-year-old was first in the first race and took second place on the podium in the second event. Consequently, he secured the day's victory in the overall standings and replaced Finnish rider Kim Savaste (KTM Red Bull Factory) at the top of the table; Savaste is his main competitor. The young Scandinavian told us: "I've trained a lot for this racing series at home in Denmark and am very happy to have now beaten Kim. It gives me great confidence for the upcoming event in Aichwald. My dad bought me another pit bike for my good performance, so I'm going to take it for a spin." Talented Italian teenager Gianluca Facchetti (Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe) was second. The 14-year-old was indeed happy with his fine result, but also had a great deal of sympathy for Kim Savaste, who lost P1 in the first race after breaking a shock absorber and then had to claw his way back up from 26th place to an unbelievable P10 in the second race after a fall. Facchetti summed up the whole thing as follows: "Well, yes of course, it's a great way to finish for me, but I think it's a shame that I could not prove myself against Kim because he's a great partner in a race and always makes it very exciting." German rider Jeremy Sydow (ADAC Sachsen, KTM) was third overall.
Support programme
The French riders in particular made a name for themselves in Saturday night's traditional motocross long jump competition. Jumping 56.9 metres, Grégory Aranda (Sturm Racing Team Kawasaki) bagged the 1,000 euros prize money, while 500 euros went to Fellow Frenchman Florent Richier (KTM Kosak Racing) for second place. Pascal Rauchenecker from Ried itself only managed to finish in third place, but his record of 66.8 metres from 2013 still stands.
The third of eight fixtures in total will take place on June 27th and 28th in Aichwald to the east of Stuttgart. Motocross enthusiasts can look forward to a challenging 1,755 metre grass circuit on which riders in all three classes will want to execute exciting manoeuvres. Local rider Lars Reuther in particular is already looking forward to the 'in den Horben' track that is run by organisers MSC Eiserne Hand. Rheuter lives just 40 miles from Aichwald and will be hoping to show off his skill to cheering friends and family members.
Ried im Innkreis:
ADAC MX Masters championship standings
Pascal Rauchenecker, 78 points
Dennis Ullrich, 78 points
Marcus Schiffer, 72 points
ADAC MX Youngster Cup championship standings
Calvin Vlaanderen, 88 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen, 69 points
Tomasz Wysocki, 66 points
ADAC MX Junior Cup championship standings
Mikkel Haarup, 91 points
Kim Savaste, 78 points
Gianluca Facchetti, 62 points
Privateer standings in the ADAC MX Masters
1. Dario Gianni Dapor (GER /ADAC Hessen-Thüringen)
2. Roland Ekerold (GER /Ekerold Motorsport)
3. Marcel Reuther (GER/KTM Sarholz Racing Team)
Manufacturers' standings in the ADAC MX Masters (after 2 races from 8)
1. KTM, 93
2. Suzuki, 77
3. Kawasaki, 70
4. Honda, 25