Munich: Only a few more days to go before the ADAC MX Masters kicks off its 13th season. On the 8th and 9th of April, as behoves tradition, the MSC Fürstlich Drehna will stage the season opener of the motocross race series and thus kick off the long-awaited season outdoors. The list of entrants features some 260 riders from 27 countries, who will be competing for one of the 40 places at the starting gate that will be up for grabs on race day in the ADAC MX Masters, the ADAC MX Youngster Cup and in the ADAC MX Junior Cup. Top German rider Christian Brockel (33, KTM GST Berlin) will be nursing hopes of a good finish at the meeting in north-east Germany. Yoda, as he is known in the scene, is contesting his last motocross season in 2017 and would love to go out with a bang at his home Rund um den Mühlberg circuit where he is a local rider. “I’ve been a MSC Fürstlich Drehna club member for three years and know how best to master this deep, sandy circuit. I want to really wind back the throttle in my last season and score as many points as I possibly can. I’m very well prepared, am super fit and will be supported at the meeting by many friends from the area and, of course, by my wife and two children. So, there’s plenty of incentive to finish on the podium, because that’s my goal,” said Brockel, who placed fifth overall in the ADAC MX Masters and was crowned German Champion in both 2014 and 2015.

The deep, sandy track measuring 1,650 metres of the club which was founded in 1979 is a tough test for many motocrossers right at the start of the season and a real challenge thanks to its many table tops and turns, plus technically very demanding passages. Angus Heidecke (26, KTM Sarholz Racing Team) is another rider, who knows how to deal really well with the local conditions just like Brockel. Heidecke also belongs to the top elite of German MX riders but had to miss the entire season due to an injury at the ADAC MX Masters in Bielstein last year. He has been working on his fitness all winter and has been back in the saddle since the beginning of the year. During spring training which MSC Fürstlich Drehna eV holds every year just before the opener of the Masters, the KTM rider was able to get to grips with the circuit and ‘bed-in’ his racing motorcycles. Having done that, Heidecke is now certain that he too can finish in the Top Five. Other favourites for podium finishes are three-time ADAC MX Masters winner Dennis Ullrich (23, KTM Sarholz Racing Team) and world championship rider Henry Jacobi (20, STC Racing Team).

Local riders Nico Adler (18, ADAC Saxony, KTM) and Maximilian Spies (13, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg eV, Husqvarna) are aiming to win plaudits in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup. For 13-year-old Spies, this will be his first season in Class 2. The young rider, who is already 1.83 metres tall, is too big for an 85cc bike and has a special dispensation from the DMSB to compete on a 125cc machine in the 2017 ADAC MX Youngster Cup. “This season will be a training year for me. I’ve been working up to my maiden race in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup for months now and hope that I can qualify, but this is the right step for me to take in my motocross career, because I can develop much more in this higher class,” said the young talent from north-east Germany, who placed eighth in the 2016 ADAC MX Junior Cup and was crowned German Champion in the 85cc-class.

The ADAC MX Masters meeting in Fürstlich Drehna, around 100 kilometres south of Berlin, promises to deliver plenty of action and adrenaline spikes and is well worth a visit for the whole family. There’s a varied programme away from the track for both young and old. Children, for example, will particularly enjoy the ADAC Young Generation Suzuki quad parcours and the ADAC bouncy castle. What’s more, all fans are invited to an autograph-signing session with the top MX stars at the ADAC truck on Sunday from 12.15 to 12.45 pm. Local rider Christian Brockel will be joined by Dennis Ullrich, Henry Jacobi and Angus Heidecke to sign posters and autographs during this half-hour session and take selfies with their fans. The fun will continue on Friday and Saturday evening when it’s party time in the marquee. A weekend ticket costs 25 euros for adults. Children and teenagers under 16 will be admitted for free when accompanied by a paying adult.