The ADAC MX Masters, which has evolved into Europe´s favourite motocross series, celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.

However, the beginnings of the ADAC MX Masters were anything but easy. A growing lack of organisers, rising costs and low spectator numbers at the start of the new millennium brought the International German Motocross Championship to its knees. Professional motocross as a sport was threatened with closure in Germany.

ADAC Sports President Hermann Tomczyk believed in the sport´s potential and decided to set up a new race series along with Dieter Porsch and Dietmar ‘Didi´ Lacher. They devised a plan together, drew up policies, looked carefully at the project´s financial viability and searched for suitable co‑workers and people who could get things moving. The ADAC MX Masters then took shape. Porsch accepted the job of series racing director and put together a very competent team with the aid of his new team manager. They took on Olaf Noack as sports marshal, Armin Hauger as technical marshal, Peter Breininger as track official and put Sandro Tonder in charge of the paddock, whilst making Marion and Friedrich Oettlin responsible for general organisation at the very heart of the series.

Well-known brands including Suzuki, KTM, Gotha Insurance and Fox quickly showed interest in the new motocross platform and joined as partners. In addition, and this was unique, all the main motocross magazines – motoX, that later became Cross Magazine, Motocross Enduro and Topspeed supported the development of the ADAC MX Masters.

By 2005, everything was finally in place, and the racing series was up and running. Temperatures at the north German track in Tensfeld managed to reach just two degrees as sleet fell for the opening event. But despite the poor conditions, around 108 riders lined up in the Masters class and 167 young drivers in the ADAC MX Junior Cup. The ADAC MX Youngster Cup did not exist during the first season, and the intermediate class was not launched until one year later.

"The optimism displayed by all the organisers, teams and riders back in 2004 impressed us mightily and made ​​us feel once again that we were doing the right thing," said project manager Dieter Porsch, adding proudly: "We are and have been from the beginning a very great team made up of doers and people from the motocross scene, which was very important for the development of the ADAC MX Masters, since it was only through that feeling of being in it together that we were able to overcome without any real problem a number of obstacles that existed especially during that first season, for example."

After a further seven events in Aichwald, Holzgerlingen, Blenheim, Aufenau, Schwedt, Schefflenz and Teutschenthal, the first ADAC MX Masters Champions was crowned at the end of 2005. The Belgian Ken de Dyck won through in the narrow basin that is Teutschenthal against Aigar Leok from Estonia and German Max Nagl to become the first winner of the ADAC MX Masters class. Dutchman Ceriel Klein Kromhof made the running ​​in the ADAC MX Junior Cup and stood on the top rung of the podium as the winner next to German Ken Roczen and the Dane Rasmus Jorgensen.