That Rene Hofer is actually still very much a novice is hard to imagine. The Austrian youngster is too professional in his appearance and too considered in his opinions of himself. And yet, the teenager is just 14 years young. The rider fielded by MSC Imbach by MEFO Sport/Kini KTM Junior Pro Team is currently one of the favourites to win the ADAC MX Junior Cup. After all, he went straight into P1 at the opening weekend in Fürstlich Drehna in both points-scoring races and clinched victory on the day – a result built on last year´s success. Hofer lined up in the ADAC MX Junior Cup for the first time when he was eleven. He caused a stir in 2015 with his fine performance in Class 3, finishing the season third overall.

But his enthusiasm for sport and interest in motocross are not accidental. His father, Reinhard, who is himself a quad champion and rides motocross as a hobby, gave the boy his first PW50 at the age of three and a half. You could not get Rene off the bike after that. He built jumps for himself in the garden where he undertook increasingly daring manoeuvres until finally, his parents entered him for his first motocross competition at the age of five. That was a milestone which is still fondly remembered today, as it marked the start of Rene´s budding MX career. Since then, the schoolboy, who attends sports college in Linz, has tried to consistently finish in the points and to minimise the number of mistakes he makes.

And with some success. His record to date on the international scene: Third in the European 65cc championship, sixth in the 65cc world championship and fifth in the 85cc world championship. "As a young rider you should make sure that you enter lots of international races in order to gain experience and always endeavour to be up there with the front-runners in the field," said the 14-year-old. His idol: US superstar Ryan Dungey (26).

Rene now intends to follow in the footsteps of Jeremy Sydow (15) this year and win the ADAC MX Junior Cup. "I actually think my chances are quite good. I have a very relaxed riding style and am focused on the track from start to finish. I seldom fall, normally, and my performance is consistent and good," said the KTM rider, telling us about his skills on the track, adding: "In the juniors, the field of riders is really strong, so I´ve been able to learn a great deal over the last three years from competitors, who are faster than me. You can learn a lot from watching them and by simply going up against them," he concluded.

The young talent tells us that his biggest rivals currently are Daniel Stehlik (14), Maksim Kraev (14) and Meico Vettik (13). His strategy for the upcoming ADAC MX Junior Cup race weekends: To have fun and be relaxed while still remaining ambitious!