Leon Ast's parents were originally opposed to their son taking up motocross, but when the nine-year-old persisted, they made his dream come true by presenting him with a yellow Suzuki RM85 on 'Kindertag' (literally Children's Day, a public holiday in Saxony-Anhalt). Leon has since celebrated his 16th birthday and has won the Saxony-Anhalt championship on multiple occasions; he is also a regular member of the ADAC MX Youngster Cup line-up. However, his career has not always run smoothly: in 2011, the youngster from Blankenburg had a serious accident in a regional MX championship race at Trebitz.

But that wasn't going to weaken his resolve or persuade him to give up on the sport: "I'm a motocross rider through and through. For me, there is no better feeling than getting on my bike and taking off. I have a tough constitution and can easily take knocks. That's why I spent only nine days in the hospital three years ago before discharging myself. I know all about the risks associated with an extreme sport such as motocross, and I can live with that." Before two months were up, Leon was back racing again and the accident was regarded as a matter not worthy of further discussion. Kathleen and Andreas Ast, who had been uneasy about their son's choice of sport right from the start, were unable to sway him against resuming his career. He had one sole objective, namely to succeed.

During the ADAC MX Masters weekend in Teutschenthal, Ast from nearby Blankenburg can rely on the support of local fans. The 16-year-old trains at the Talkessel circuit approximately five times a year and also maintains a close relationship with the members of his local club, MSC Teutschenthal e.V. "The track is very much to my liking. There are lots of big jumps, which means that the circuit is well balanced and highly enjoyable to compete on." Leon is currently enrolled at a vocational college where he is specialising in metal technology. He has still to make a real breakthrough into the ADAC MX Youngster Cup front-runners, as he lacks the overall experience. "Although I entered a few races in the ADAC MX Junior Cup and the ADAC MX Youngster Cup back in 2010 and 2011, this is the first season that I've been a regular contestant," admits Leon. "That's why I'm setting myself relatively modest targets for the moment so as not to place myself under undue pressure. With the ADAC MX Masters season coming to an end at Teutschenthal, I definitely want to make it through the qualifying heats at last. That's something I haven't managed to do so far in 2014." The financial backing for his sporting activities comes mainly from his parents. Additional funding is supplied by his two sponsors, Team Yamaha Motorcycle Knobloch and Kurt Vetter Transporte.

Moral and emotional support is provided by his girlfriend Elisa with whom he has been going out since January 2012. The couple met at the Saxony-Anhalt regional championships in Letzingen and then spent the next few months chatting with each other on social networks before they really hit it off at a New Year's Eve celebration. "Elisa helps me in every way she can," says Leon. "That's not always easy, because she lives 100 kilometres away and neither of us holds a driving licence yet. Usually, one of us gets on a train and comes to visit the other." 17-year-old Elisa always makes the effort to be there for race weekends and cheers on her beloved from the trackside. She doesn't worry about Leon getting injured: "Leon is a careful rider and never takes unnecessary risks. He sometimes tells me that's his major problem, but I'm happy about that."

Every now and again, motocross is put on the back burner for a few hours. On such occasions, they go to the cinema, tuck into a Gyros Pizza or meet up with friends. When Leon leaves school, he is still not sure whether to embark on a professional career in motocross, to train as an apprentice or to go on to further education. His sights for the next two years are set on improving his performance to the extent that he can score points in the ADAC MX Masters series as well as in the German Championship.