Jeremy Sydow is a sporting phenomenon. When the 15-year-old from Saxony is not swatting for school exams, he is riding his motorbike – the third he has owned since the age of three. His father Mike gave the precocious toddler a Yamaha PW 50. As soon as he climbed on the saddle, there was no getting him off – much to the initial concern of his mother Romy. "At weekends, we would always arrive too late for lunch, and we got a regular telling off," says the teenager with a grin. But in the meantime, his mother has become reconciled to the dedication of her son to his chosen sport. Together with husband Mike and daughter Jolien (10), she accompanies him to the race venues and cheers him on from the side of the track.

And she has every reason to do so, because since 2011 Sydow´s racing career has been on a steep ascent. The teenager from Chemnitz is one of the youngest motocross riders to have secured sponsorship from the ADAC Sports Foundation. Jeremy first entered the ADAC MX Junior Cup at the age of ten. One year later, he was spotted by a talent scout from the ADAC Sports Foundation and immediately signed up as a protégé. "In the ADAC MX Junior Cup, I always qualified for Sunday´s race," says Sydow. "I´m still very proud of the fact that I was offered ADAC sponsorship in 2011. It´s a great honour, because only a few riders are accepted each year."

Since then, Jeremy has made regular appearances on the podium. He finished the 2014 ADAC MX Junior Cup as runner-up and last year, aged 15, secured the Class 3 title in the Masters race series. "Lifting the trophy in the Junior category has brought me a lot of international recognition. There are a lot of sponsors who became aware of me as a result. In addition, I´m able to compete on the same level now as Mikkel Haarup and Kim Savaste who are also past winners of the ADAC MX Junior Cup. I´m only the second German after my role model Ken Roczen to have won the third highest category."

Starting this season, Sydow Junior has more horsepower under his saddle. In 2016, he is contesting the ADAC MX Youngster Cup on a 125cc machine. The MX shooting star is indeed a bit nervous about competing alongside the bigger boys, but his misgivings are more than compensated for by delight at the new challenge: "I´ll just have to get used to not automatically taking an immediate lead all over again, because in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, my main aim will be simply qualifying. But once I´ve surmounted the first hurdle and acclimatised myself to the new pace, I can then perhaps think in terms of finishing in the points."

Jeremy is being taught many of the tricks of the trade by ADAC MX Masters rider and friend Dominique Thury (23) with whom he often goes training: "He gives me a lot of advice while we´re practising and teaches me physical exercises that really work. They have helped me to developed my physique and have also boosted my self-confidence."

And Nique, as he is known in the MX scene, is impressed by the enthusiasm of his younger training partner: "I´ve never worked with anyone who can absorb so much information and advice all at once and then convert it directly into practice. You can really see how motivated Jeremy is, and that then rubs off on me. The training sessions with him are consequently rewarding."

Jeremy is especially enjoying himself on the new bike. In the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, he will be riding a 125cc machine, as he has now outgrown the 85cc model. The 2015 ADAC MX Junior Cup winner´s long-term aim is to win the title in Class 2. But he admits that he probably needs a little more time to realise that ambition.