When you ask Leon what he likes best about motocross, he does not know where to begin. “Simply everything,” says the eleven-year-old from Böblingen enthusiastically, and then the words come tumbling out: “I like the jumps, riding fast, winding back the throttle. I love everything about it. I’d like to just ride motorbikes all the time, because I can concentrate even better than when I’m at school.” Leon attended the ADAC MX Academy powered by KTM at Reutlingen in July 2014 after going three times to watch the ADAC MX Masters at Holzgerlingen and finding that he had been bitten by the motocross bug. His parents, Katja and Alex, then decided to surprise their offspring with the gift of a taster course for his eighth birthday: “It was something I really wanted. It was the most beautiful present in the whole wide world. My father woke me up early on the day of the course, saying, come on!, quick!, get dressed!, you’re off on a training course. I was awake in a jiffy, and I don’t think I’ve ever got ready so fast.”
And yes, this special day in the youngster’s life did indeed turn into a milestone of sorts, because from then on, he did not want to pursue any other hobbies other than motocross. Alex, his dad tells us more: “It was really incredible, the enormous impression that the Academy left on Leon. We’d tried practically every other sport you could think of, everything from tennis to table tennis and athletics. He couldn’t even get excited about football, preferring instead to pick daisies at the side of the pitch rather than concentrate on the ball. But with motocross, everything is different now. Our son wanted to join the club straightaway after the course and has been all fired up about it ever since.”
Leon finally got his first bike in October 2014 – a one-year old 65cc KTM from the Academy. He bought himself a helmet and gloves with his pocket money. His parents provided the money for the bike and everything else. A completely different life opened up for Leon, who was eight at the time, as he began to spend most of his spare time on his new motorcycle: “I trained for a whole year, because I didn’t want to enter racing events unprepared. The time soon came, though, in 2016. I went to Schnaitheim to ride in the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cup. It was my first time at the starting grid, and I immediately finished eleventh. That was a really cool experience.” His parents and sister Noelia (8) now come along to every meeting to cheer him on. “It really does seem that our boy has petrol coursing through his veins, because motocross is actually the only sport he’s prepared to throw his heart and soul into,” adds father Alex, who once trained as a mechanic and now works on his son’s machine.
Since taking up riding, Leon’s now practises at least twice a week at his home club, 1st RMC Reutlingen eV, and in the spring of 2017, even attended courses all over Europe in order to go on improving and prepare himself mentally and physically. “My dad and I were busy competing every weekend from February through to May,” says Leon. “This year, I set myself the goal of at least the Top Five in the BW Cup.” Unfortunately, he tore a ligament in his knee two days before the start of the season during a practice session at Reutlingen and was unable to ride a motorcycle for a whole year: “That was and still is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. So annoying, especially as I was practically stationary when I fell over, because my front wheel locked up.” He’s now got high hopes for the 2018 season. The MX talent had an operation three months ago and plans to be back in action as soon as his knee has completely healed.
But Leon’s motorbike has not been sat idle. His sister, Noelia, has also developed a passion for her brother’s favourite sport. Leon: “Actually, she plays hockey but also wanted to attend the ADAC MX Academy and borrows my bike now and again. There’s never any argument about it, though, because she prefers hockey and only wants to ride on the odd occasion, which is fine by me.”
The training camp at 1st RMC Reutlingen was set up for the ADAC MX Academy powered by KTM on a trial basis in 2013 and hosted the very first taster course. Since then, the club in Baden-Württemberg has been one of the regular providers of courses for the Academy and keenly supports young talent. Founded in 1887, the club has around 1,000 active members, of whom 150 are young people aged between four and 18. Around forty of them regularly take part in competitions. Training the young MX stars of tomorrow is supervised by certificated trainers from the Academy and takes place every Tuesday on the club’s special circuit for youngsters. The juniors can also stop by to practise on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Using motorcycles of at least 85cc, teenagers aged 12 and above can even ride on the club’s regular track during practice sessions.