Bright sunshine, a challenging clay surface and a top-class starting field were the perfect ingredients for a superb ADAC MX Masters race weekend at Ried in Austria. The 1,900-metre circuit in the natural surroundings of a former military training area of the Austrian Army was staging a contest for crucial points because, after six out of eight events on the 2015 calendar, the prize money pot of €260,000 is looking tantalisingly within reach for the main title contenders. 8,000 fans came through the gates of Europe's most popular Motocross series to see MX2 World Championship rider Tim Gajser on a Honda Gariboldi claim wins in both motos and also to pick up the Sunday trophy.

"I felt incredibly good on my machine and on the track during the race," said the 18-year-old Slovenian. "It was fun to compete in the series again after my first outing at Aichwald. And it's even better when you finish on the podium." He relegated World Championship rider and ADAC MX Masters championship leader Glenn Coldenhoff (24, NL, Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe) to second place. "My starts proved to be my undoing this time," said the Dutch contender for the International German Motocross Championship. "I had wheel spin in both races and I didn't get off the line fast enough. I managed to work my way up to second place on both occasions, but by that time, Gajser was too far ahead." Third in the Sunday standings was Coldenhoff's team-mate Jeremy Seewer (21) from Switzerland. Pascal Rauchenecker (Cofain Racing KTM) riding on his HSV Ried home track just missed out on a podium in front of his local fans. "I'm not annoyed with myself, because I managed to put the race leaders under a lot of pressure," said the 22-year-old, who lives in Eitzing just two kilometres away from the track. "Ultimately, though, it wasn't quite enough." Next placed was reigning champion Dennis Ullrich (21, Team Castrol Power1 Suzuki Moto-Base) from Kämpfelbach in Germany. Coldenhoff continues to lead the overall standings on 264 points, pursued by Ullrich (213) and Seewer (209).

ADAC MX Youngster Cup

Current championship leader Brian Hsu (Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe) had some tough competition in the shape of Nicholas Adams, who emerged strongest this weekend in the junior class for riders aged 21 years and younger. With a second place in the first moto and a win in Race 2, the 18-year-old took the top spot on the podium and picked up his first Sunday winner's trophy of the season by a clear margin. "I finally did it!" said the South African youngster after crossing the finish line. "My previous races have been marked by errors, but today everything went just perfectly." 17 year-old Hsu was visibly disappointed with second place: "The heat normally doesn't bother me, because I live in Italy and am exposed to this level of temperature during everyday training. But in the second moto, my head felt like it was on fire, and I wasn't able to increase my speed." Third place went to Hsu's team-mate Bas Vaessen (17) from the Netherlands. Hsu continues to lead the championship on 276 points. Adams moves up to second (196 points), having demoted Stefan Ekerold (19, Bodo Schmidt Motorsport) to third place on 189 points.

ADAC MX Junior Cup

The best-performing rider in the ADAC MX Junior Cup this weekend was Jeremy Sydow (KTM, Falcon Motorsports). The 15-year-old from Chemnitz won the day trophy with victory in the first race and second place in Race 2. "I was excited prior to today's races, because the title showdown is getting closer," said Sydow, who has now won the competition for riders aged 10 - 15 for the second time. In second place was René Hofer (13, MSC Imbach / KINI KTM Junior Pro Team) who lives 98 kilometres away in the town of Alberndorf and consequently enjoyed home advantage and the thunderous applause from his contingent of family and friends. Defending champion and current championship leader Mikkel Haarup (13, KTM Kosak Racing Team) from Denmark was hit with a five-place penalty in the first moto for having ignored a yellow flag and overtaken another rider. He won the second race, but this was only enough to salvage third place overall on Sunday. Although the result has had no effect on positions in the championship table, Sydow on 174 points has reduced the gap on leader Haarup (184) to ten points. In third place is Czech KTM rider Petr Polak (14, MEFO Sport Racing Team) with a points tally of 144.

Support programme

The now traditional Saturday night motocross long jump organised by HSV Ried was dominated by the hosts. Austrian record holder from 2013 and last year's winner Rauchenecker propelled his 450cc KTM machine over a distance of 57.50 metres, thus vindicating in impressive fashion his status as favourite in this discipline. Hofer prevailed in the long jump for 85cc machines.

The penultimate event on the 2015 ADAC MX Masters calendar takes place this coming weekend. On 15th/16th August, the competition will be hosted for the first time by the Dutch city of Lichtenvoorde (Gelderland). Just 20 kilometres from the German border, the MACL Lichtenvoorde track is steeped in history. With a mixture of sandy and hard soils, the surface poses a special challenge for the riders of the ADAC MX Masters, ADAC MX Youngster Cup and ADAC MX Junior Cup.