After the expected heavy rain failed to materialise for Saturday's qualifying heats of the ADAC MX Masters, Sunday's downpour more than made up for it. As a result, the track became a mud bath and the race programme had to be reorganised from scratch. In the end, only one ADAC MX Youngster Cup moto and one race in the Masters class could be contested. Jeremy Delince from Belgium (25, KMP Racing Honda Repsol) coped best with the conditions. The ADAC MX Masters rider staged a spectacular pursuit of championship leader Dennis Ullrich (22, KTM Sarholz Racing Team), overtaking him just before the end. "All winter, I've been training on tracks in Belgium with similar surfaces, so I'm used to riding in the mud," said the 25-year-old. "All the same, it was difficult to master the track conditions, so I'm pleased to have scored maximum points here. This is really satisfying, because I work hard for my success."
His opponent Dennis Ullrich finished as runner-up, thereby achieving the goal he had set himself for the race weekend at Aichwald, namely to extend his championship lead. "Today's result takes me further up the championship table, so I'm very happy with second place," said the 22-year-old who intends to contest the next GP in England alongside Max Nagl. "I made an error at a relatively early stage in the race, and my front tyre slid away from under me. I then had to fight my way forward again. It was a bit of a lottery out there today." In third place was Czech rider Petr Smitka (25, Cofain Racing Team).
With an eye to next weekend's world championship event in England, local favourite Max Nagl (28, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team) was reluctant to take any risks and therefore decided to sit out the inevitable mud fight in the Masters class. Brian Hsu (18, Team Suzuki World MX2), who qualified in P1 the previous day, was also conspicuous by his absence for the race itself.
Nevertheless, there was still a decent turnout for Sunday's event which was well stewarded and marshalled by 500 helpers recruited by the MSC Eiserne Hand Aichwald club. Over the weekend, a total of 17,000 fans braved the weather at the In den Horben circuit near Aichingen in Baden-Württemberg.
ADAC MX Youngster Cup
One ADAC MX Youngster Cup contestant in particular had cause for satisfaction. Belgium's Cedric Grobben (21, KTM Sarholz Racing Team) celebrated the first podium of his MX career and was visibly delighted by the nature of his victory at Aichwald: "I am very happy and - despite all the rain - I had a lot of fun today. I like it when the track is demanding and you find yourself competing under complicated conditions. For example, it's tough standing up on the pegs because the mud on your clothes make them very heavy, and it's also difficult to see the track because of the dirt on your goggles. In recent years, I've had a lot of setbacks due to injury, so I think it's marvellous that my family could be present for such a great result after following me to races all over." Second and third places went to the Slovakian duo of Richard Sikyna (18, MX Slovakia Racing, KTM) and Tomas Kohut (17, KTM Kosak Racing Team) respectively.
ADAC MX Junior Cup
No racing took place in the ADAC MX Junior Cup on Sunday. Following the heavy rainfall, the track conditions would not have permitted the MX Juniors on their 85cc machines to do themselves justice, so the decision was taken to cancel the Class 3 action. Consequently, the youngest riders in Europe's most popular motocross racing series now have to wait several weeks before they can mount their next ADAC MX Junior Cup title challenge on the weekend of 16th/17th July in the context of the ADAC MX Masters at Bielstein near Tensfeld in northern Germany.
Meanwhile, the fourth round of the 2016 ADAC MX Masters will be contested on the weekend of 2nd/3rd July at MSC Drabenderhöhe-Bielstein in North Rhine-Westphalia. The club, founded in 1952, will be hosting the ADAC MX Masters Club for the second time this year. Steep ascents and descents, technically demanding loops and constantly changing light conditions with a mix of forest and open grass make the 1,830-metre woodland circuit an exciting challenge for the Masters class and the ADAC MX Youngster Cup.