The sixth event on the ADAC MX Masters calendar at Ried im Innkreis (Austria) was a scorcher. With temperatures exceeding 30°C, the international motocross elite were sweating profusely in Saturday's qualifying session. Slovenia's world championship rider Tim Gajser (Honda Gariboldi) prevailed on the day and now gets to choose the best place at the start gate for Sunday's race. Lining up in second place behind the 18-year-old is world championship and Suzuki factory rider Glenn Coldenoff (24, Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe). Third best on Saturday was local favourite Pascal Rauchenecker (22, Cofain Racing KTM) who lives in Eitzing, just two kilometres away from the venue.

The 1,900-metre track has been laid out in a natural setting on a former military training area of the Austrian army. "I am delighted to be up at the front again in only my second appearance in the series," said Gajser after qualifying. "The competition is tough, and it's therefore all the more important to have first choice of starting position tomorrow. I'll start on the inside and give it my best shot. The heat doesn't bother me so much, because I'm quite used to hot conditions in the world championship races. My main worry is Rauchenecker who is competing on his home track and consequently knows his way around." The local lad, who rides for the organising club HSV Ried, managed to reduce the gap on Gajser to one tenth of a second on the final lap of qualifying: "It's super to be going into Sunday's two races in third place. I know that I've delivered a top performance, and in the races, I'm aiming to cross the finish line one tenth ahead of all the others."

ADAC MX Youngster Cup

In qualifying for the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, Arminas Jasikonis (Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil) posted the fastest time - good prospects for the 17-year-old to claim victory on Sunday in the class for young riders up to the age of 21. "I like the track and had a lot of fun riding there," said the Lithuanian after securing first place at the gate. "Perhaps it was this relaxed feeling that helped me set my decent lap time. The objective for tomorrow is clear, namely to be the fastest again and to score plenty of vital points." His success relegated Freiburg-born championship leader and ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Brian Hsu (17, Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe) to second place. Third place goes to Martin Krc (19, SZA-STAV Racing Team) from the Czech Republic on a KTM.

ADAC MX Junior Cup

Matching the higher classes for adrenaline were the youngest riders as they chased down the best starting spots. In the junior class for contestants aged between ten and 15 years, Jeremy Sydow (Falcon Motorsports) from Chemnitz booked first place for Sunday. He thus out-qualified the reigning champion and current leader Mikkel Haarup (13, KTM Kosak Racing Team) from Denmark and René Hofer (13, MSC Imbach / KINI KTM Junior Pro Team) from Alberndorf, a town just 98 kilometres from the venue. Sydow, who is in second place in the championship, demonstrated his fighting spirit in impressive style. "I was in the box when I heard that I was only a few seconds off first place," said the 15-year-old. "By changing the racing line at the last moment, I was able to demonstrate how fast I am and to shake off the strong competition."

Support programme

Alongside the motocross racing, HSV Ried is offering a varied programme of entertainment for the whole family. After Saturday's qualifying was over, the evening continued with a spectacular show event - the now traditional Ried long jump competition. Rauchenecker was aiming to surpass his own impressive record distance of 66.8 metres set in 2013. Children can amuse themselves on the ADAC Young Generation Suzuki quad bike track or in the ADAC Unfallschutz bouncy castle. Up to the age of 16 years, they qualify for free admission to the entire event. The admission charge on Sunday for anyone aged 16+ is €16.00. This includes access to the fan zone, with stalls selling motocross paraphernalia, and to the autograph session with the top riders next to the ADAC Truck at 12.15pm. Making time for their fans on Sunday will be Coldenhoff, Gajser, Jeremy Seewer (21, Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe), Rauchenecker and defending champion Dennis Ullrich (21, Team Castrol Power1 Suzuki Moto-Base).