Although Dennis Ullrich (KTM Sarholz Racing Team) had already successfully defended his ADAC MX Masters title at Holzgerlingen two weeks ago, he was determined not to disappoint his fans on the final weekend of the season (20th/21st September) at Teutschenthal in Saxony-Anhalt. By finishing as runner-up in the first moto and winning the second, the 21-year-old claimed overall victory on the day in front of around 4,500 spectators, thus confirming his credentials as champion in Europe's most popular motocross racing series.
"Already having the title in the bag was no reason to rest on my laurels," said the KTM Sarholz rider. "I am highly ambitious and wanted to show what I'm capable of here. Apart from which, the prize money is obviously more attractive if you achieve a good result." Second on the day was Dutchman Brian Boger (HSF Logistics Motorsport), with Switzerland's Jeremy Seewer (Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe) finishing an impressive third. 20-year-old Seewer professed himself particularly happy with the result, because his points from the two motos were enough to promote him above his Austrian rival Pascal Rauchenecker (Cofain Racing Team) in the overall standings and secure him third place in the championship. "I'm very proud of what I've achieved here," said the Suzuki rider "Last year, I ended the campaign in fourth place. In 2014, here I am on the podium. Things really couldn't have gone better."
ADAC MX Masters rider Marcus Schiffer (Team Suzuki Waldmann) secured the runner-up trophy in the Masters class. However, the 27-year-old was unable to attend the awards ceremony after coming off his bike in the first race and being rushed to the hospital with a neck injury.
ADAC MX Youngster Cup
Denmark's Kjer Olsen (Yamaha Motor Deutschland, AC Motec by STC) was feted by his team with champagne and confetti after returning to the paddock caked in mud at the end of the second moto. The 17-year-old had finally prevailed on the Talkessel circuit after a thrilling sequence of races that had pitted him against Calvin Vlaanderen (KTM Bodo Schmidt Motorsports) from the Netherlands and Henry Jacobi (KTM Sarholz Racing Team). In the end, Olsen not only took the trophy for best performance on the day but also over the season as a whole.
"I had to fight very hard all the way, but my parents, my brother Stefan, my sister Rikke and my grandparents were all there at the trackside to cheer me on," said Olsen. "That strengthened my resolve considerably. But we won't be celebrating for a while yet, as Stefan and I still have some business to attend to at the MX of Nations on 27th and 28th September." The Yamaha rider has now become the second Kjer Olsen to be crowned ADAC MX Youngster Cup champion: Stefan, his elder brother by five years, won the same title in 2011.
Second on the day and thus runner-up in the race series was 18-year-old Calvin Vlaanderen. The budding MX star picked up no fewer than three race event trophies in 2014, but a run of retirements towards the end of season saw him slip back six points behind his rival Olsen.
"I was actually expecting to feel a lot more disappointed than I do," said the Dutch rider who spent his formative years in South Africa. "But this is an outcome I can live with. Thomas has been an extremely tough opponent over the last few months, and so I'm happy for him. I try to see things from a sporting perspective." Third-best result of the day in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup was recorded by 19-year-old Luca Nijenhuis from the Netherlands (MX Promotion / Gebben Racing Kawasaki). But hanging on to his third place in the table was Henry Jacobi who joined Olsen and Vlaanderen for the annual awards ceremony.
ADAC MX Junior Cup
The newly crowned champion in the ADAC MX Junior Cup is Denmark's Mikkel Haarup (MEFO Sport Racing Team, KTM). After strong performances throughout the season, including overall victory in Ried (Austria) and several other moto wins, his reward finally came at Teutschenthal. "It feels really great to win here," said the 13-year-old. "I'm mightily relieved. To celebrate the occasion, my mother has specially baked a cake. I think I'm going to sample it right now." Haarup has every reason to pride himself on his standard of performance this year.
In addition to his overall victory in Class 3 of the Masters series, the young Scandinavian currently holds the lead in the Danish championship and took third place in the 85cc Junior World Championship. The new champion finished third overall in Sunday's ADAC MX Junior Cup. In first place was Italy's Gianluca Facchetti (Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe) ahead of Dutch rider Roan van de Moosdijk (Team WVH, KTM).
"I'm totally exhausted, but happy that I was able to finish the race series with a successful weekend," said 14-year-old Facchetti. "Next year, I'll be graduating to a 125cc motorcycle. This will be a new challenge." Jeremy Sydow from Chemnitz in Saxony (Falcon Motorsports / ADAC Sachsen), who qualified second fastest on Saturday, had to settle for the runner-up spot in the 2014 ADAC MX Junior Cup. Third in Class 3 was Martin Winter (KTM Kosak Racing).
MX of Nations
Now that the ADAC MX Masters season has come to an end, Max Nagl, Dennis Ullrich and either Brian Hsu (Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe) or Henry Jacobi will be heading for Latvia next weekend to represent Germany in the prestigious FIM Motocross of Nations. With Schiffer having been injured in Moto 1 at the Talkessel, team boss Hubert Nagl has been forced to call up one of the reserve riders. Which of the two will ultimately be decided on Monday. Whoever he chooses will be entered for the MXoN in the MX2 class, i.e. riding a 250cc motorcycle, while Nagl will contest the MXGP class and Ullrich will be up against the international MX elite in the MXOpen class. But before the German trio board their plane for the Baltic state, they will be taking a spa break on Monday. "The day of relaxation for the boys is an opportunity to swap ideas," said coach Nagl. "We plan to build team spirit so that we arrive for the Nations in Kegums as a cohesive unit."
Special prizes
The Michael Spacek special prizes were once again awarded in the context of the 2014 ADAC MX Masters. This is Goldfren CEO Stanislav Spacek's way of honouring people from the motocross scene who have distinguished themselves by virtue of their extraordinary commitment, outstanding personality, sense of fair play or social responsibility over and above their sporting activities. In 2014, the former motocross professional has singled out the three team leaders Burkhard Sarholz of Sarholz Racing Team, Harald Pfeil of Team Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil and Herbert Kosak of Kosak Racing Team. For many years now, all three have been notable supporters of motorcycle sport and have worked hard to bring on young talent. In recognition of their efforts, Spacek handed the team bosses three exquisite cut-glass trophies on Saturday night and made his private plane available for one free flight each. Spacek has been a keen amateur pilot for many years now.
In addition, Burkhard Sarholz was handed a cheque for 1,000 euros on Sunday. His KTM Sarholz Racing Team, which entered the likes of Dennis Ullrich, Henry Jacobi and France's Sébastien Pourcel, was the most successful of all the ADAC MX Masters outfits, scoring a grand total of 960 points. Meanwhile, KTM were collecting the constructors' trophy. They finished the season on 364 points ahead of Suzuki (299) and Kawasaki (250). In the two-stroke class, Denmark's Glen Meier (KTM Kosak Racing) was honoured for his consistent performance; the 2013 ADAC MX Junior Cup winner was handed a gigantic trophy.
Picking up the Red Bull Holeshot awards in their relevant classes were ADAC MX Masters champion Ullrich, ADAC MX Youngster Cup third-placed Jacobi and ADAC MX Junior Cup winner Haarup. Over the season as a whole, they were the three fastest starters out of the gate, arriving first at Turn 1 more frequently than any of their opponents. Sponsors Red Bull rewarded them with two tickets (including one night's accommodation) for the MotoGP event at the Sachsenring. In addition, they each receive a Red Bull Cooler with one year's supply of energy drinks.