Europe's most popular motocross racing series is going from strength to strength in 2016. Nearly 400 motocross riders from 30 countries have already registered for the 2016 ADAC MX Masters. Prospective riders still have until this Friday, February 12th to enrol online at www.adac.de/mx-masters for this year's season. The ADAC MX Masters again promises race weekends full of surprises, as many young riders from the ADAX MX Youngster Cup will this year be lining up at the starting gate in the next higher class and so, will be going head-to-head with former ADAX MX Masters idols. This situation could prove challenging for both sides, since the ex-ADAC MX Youngster Cup riders will now be competing in the premier league, making up the field along with the international world championship riders, while experienced Masters riders will have to risk being overtaken by the younger generation.

One of the most fancied riders is ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Brian Hsu (17/Team Suzuki World MX2), who won the 2015 ADAC MX Youngster Cup. The German-Taiwanese with Hungarian roots has already competed at European championship level and his fine performances in the world championship have enabled him to gain plenty of international experience. However, he will have to get used to the faster pace and the higher standard of fellow Masters riders. The 17-year-old joins the Masters class for the start of the season along with British rider Nicholas Adams (18/Jtech Honda), who placed second in the 2015 ADAC MX Youngster Cup and the Lithuanian Arminas Jasikonis (18/Kawasaki), who finished third behind Adams. The example of Ken Roczen proves that a former ADAC MX Youngster Cup rider really does have a good chance of beating the professionals. Roczen won the 2008 title in Class 2 and finished on the top rung of the podium in each of the following two years by winning the ADAC MX Masters.

The pros will have tough opposition as they come up against supercross champion Greg Aranda from France (26/Sturm Racing Team/Yamaha), world championship riders Jeremy Seewer from Switzerland (21/Team Suzuki World MX2), Filip Neugebauer from the Czech Republic (28/Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf team Pfeil), Harri Kullas from Finland (23/KTM Sarholz Racing team), Luke Neurauter from Austria (23/Cofain Racing team) and Dennis Ullrich (22/KTM Sarholz Racing team), who won the 2013 and 2014 Masters. What's more, the two world championship riders Max Nagl (28/Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) and Henry Jacobi (19/Jtech Honda) and fellow French world championship rider Xavier Boog (27/Team Bud Racing) have already announced their intention to contest certain Masters races. These riders are all currently some of the strongest motocrossers around and will go all-out to put their stamp on Europe's most popular racing series during 2016.

Just as in the ADAC MX Masters, the ADAC MX Youngster Cup also has riders who are moving up a class and are likewise very strong. A number of very talented former Junior Cup riders have already shaken things up in the Youngster Cup. Jeremy Sydow (15/KTM), who lifted the trophy in Class 3 in 2015, and last year's winner, Danish rider Mikkel Haarup (14/IceOne Husqvarna Racing) are just two of more than 15 young riders moving up to the higher class. The young guns in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup will utilise either 125cc two-stroke or 250cc four stroke motorcycles instead of the 85cc two-stroke machines ridden previously. Consequently, the former ADAC MX Junior Cup entrants will not only have to become accustomed to a much faster pace and higher standard but will also have to get to grips with a more powerful engine.

Full details of the regular entrants in all three classes will soon be made available online. Up-to-date lists for all classes will be published on February 19th at: www.adac.de/mx-masters.