The eleventh season of the ADAC MX Masters got underway at Fürstlich Drehna in Brandenburg on Saturday. On the 1.65km 'Rund um den Mühlberg' track, which has a long tradition of hosting major events, 240 riders from 26 nations vied for the prime starting spot in Europe's most popular motocross series. Dutch world championship contestant Glenn Coldenhoff (24, Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe) set the fastest qualifying time of 1:48.086 minutes to take the pick of the places at the gate for the two races on Sunday. Fellow world championship rider and triple ADAC MX Masters champion Max Nagl (25, Red Bull Iceone Husqvarna Factory Team) from Hohenpeissenberg posted the second-fastest lap. Another familiar name, Frenchman Gregory Aranda (25, Sturm Racing Team), lines up in third place. Christian Brockel (KTM GST Racing Berlin), who is a member of the organising club MSC Fürstlich Drehna and therefore ranks as the local favourite, completes the front starting line in fourth place.
"I've already had the chance to size up some of the other riders in previous world championship rounds," said Coldenhoff. "That's going to make tomorrow's races all the more exciting." "Qualifying is always different from the actual race," added Nagl. "At the start, I was trying to find a good line. The surface at Fürstlich Drehna is very sandy, which makes things difficult. All the same, I'm happy to be starting from second." Grinning all over his face was local favourite Christian Brockel: "It's always a special feeling when you're racing in front of your home crowd. I'm really happy about my strong performance, but in the race itself, the fact that we have such a highly competitive field will be even more noticeable."
ADAC MX Youngster Cup
In the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Brian Hsu (Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe) prevailed over Lithuania's Arminas Jasikonis (17, Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil). "The track at Fürstlich Drehna is very demanding," said 16-year-old Hsu, who is of German-Taiwanese stock. "I've raced here three times already in the Masters, but I always find myself having to carve my way through the deep sand. I'm delighted that the hard winter training has paid off and that I have first choice of the starting places tomorrow." Denmark's Glen Meier (16, KTM Kosak Racing Team) finished the qualifying session in third place.
ADAC MX Junior Cup
The ADAC MX Junior Cup is a competition specifically for riders in the ten-to-15 age bracket. Setting the fastest time on Saturday was Mikkel Haarup (KTM Kosak Racing Team) from Denmark. The 13-year-old, who lifted the 2014 ADAC MX Junior Cup, has begun the new campaign as he finished the old: "The fine weather and the track offer perfect conditions for a good start to the season. When the starting gate comes down tomorrow, I intend to cross the finish line as race winner." At the same time, he consigned ADAC Sports Foundation protégé and last year's runner-up Jeremy Sydow (14, Falcon Motorsports) to second place. Dutch rider Rick Elzinga (13, Beursfoon KTM Youth Team) qualified third.
Programme
The ADAC MX Masters delivers not only high-calibre motorsport but also a varied programme to entertain young and old alike. Children will enjoy riding on the ADAC Young Generation Suzuki quad track or working off their excess energy in the ADAC Unfallschutz bouncy castle. Admission for children aged seven to 14 years is €10. An adult ticket costs €20. An autograph-signing session will take place on Sunday attended by the top riders in the series. Glenn Coldenhoff, Max Nagl, Christian Brockel, Jeremy Seewer and Dennis Ullrich will be happy to meet autograph hunters between 12.15pm and 12.45pm next to the ADAC Truck.