The opening weekend of the ADAC MX Masters at the MSC Fürstlich Drehna eV, which was attended by some 11500 spectators in total, was a great success for the sand specialists in all three classes. The Belgian Jens Getteman (23, Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil) emerged as overall winner among the Big Boys at the ADAC MX Masters with a race win and a third place. ADAC MX Masters triple champion Dennis Ullrich (23, KTM Sarholz Racing Team) gave him a hard time in the scraps in both races, but, as Getteman told us. "To be honest, I didn't expect to finish on the podium, because I changed my bike just a couple of weeks. My new team set the Kawasaki up perfectly for me, so that I didn't have any technical problems here, and as a Belgian, I have a bit of an advantage, because we practise almost exclusively on sand." The pair of them grew up together contesting motor cross races in the 85cc class, but Dennis Ullrich finished second to him in the daily classification. Although Ulle had led by ten seconds for a time, he could not match the strength of the sand specialists in the end. "During the last few years, I've only ever placed eighth or ninth and always had the feeling that it was more a question of practising damage limitation here, so as to at least be able to take home some points, so I think that this year's result is terrific." Danish rider Nikolaj Larsen (26, KTM) won the second race. World championship rider Jorge Prado (16, ESP, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team) had to be satisfied with seventh place in the first race, a retirement in Race 2 and 13th position overall.

Christian Brockel (33, KTM GST Berlin) also had some bad luck this weekend, just like the young Spaniard. The local favourite from nearby Petershagen did indeed fight his way up the field from P40 to P8 in the first race after a collision with Prado but was forced to retire before time was up in the second race following two crashes. "I'm extremely disappointed, as I've really prepared hard for this opening weekend here in Fürstlich Drehna. It's just really annoying to come away with nothing in the end," said Brockel, who is a motorbike mechanic by trade. "But still," he added, "People here on the fan mile really cheered and treated me like a hero, which did me a power of good after the frustrating result. They all clapped as I walked past."

ADAC MX Youngster Cup

Miro Sihvonen (18, Diga Junior Racing Team, KTM) was the clear winner on the day in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup. The 18-year-old, who excelled in yesterday's quali, took a comfortable win in the first race and literally raced away from his opponents in the second race, pulling out a lead of 27 seconds. Consequently, Sihvonen, who only joined the racing series last year, ultimately finished on the top rung of the podium and thus repeated his success from last year in Fürstlich Drehna. "I'm here to win. I don't have any other goals this season. I just missed winning the title last year in 2016, and that's not going to happen to me a second time. My performance was consistent during the whole of race Sunday despite the fact that the track was a bit worn for Race 2. Still, I actually get better when the going gets tough," said Sihvonen. Zachary Pichon (16, Team Suzuki World MX2) is second in the championship rankings after this first ADAC MX Masters weekend, while Danish driver Nichlas Bjerregaard (20, Team Classic Oil, SHR Motorsports, Yamaha) placed third.

ADAC MX Junior Cup

Swedish rider Max Palsson (14, KTM) dominated this season's first two races in the ADAC MX Junior Cup. The young Scandinavian secured victory on the day with a race win and second place in the second race and was delighted to have scored so highly on his debut in the ADAC MX Masters race series. "I've trained very hard on sand, so as to be prepared for the opener. That definitely paid off, and I can start the season feeling really confident and win," said the 14-year-old KTM, who also won through in Saturday's qualifying session. Hungarian rider Adam Zsolt Kovacs (13, HTS Team by Mefo Sport, Yamaha) was delighted with second place on the day. Danish teenager Magnus Smith (13, Mefo Sport Racing Team, KTM) was third.

VIP guest at the ADAC MX Masters

Steffi Marth, who lives some 55 kilometres away from Fürstlich Drehna, was keen not to miss this first ADAC MX Masters event of 2017. Steffi holds several German championship titles in BMX and four-cross mountain biking, is a world championship downhill competitor and no stranger to extreme sports. The 31-year-old took the opportunity to come and watch the exciting races. She also chatted a bit with ADAC MX Masters triple champion Dennis Ullrich, who has trained hard for this season with downhill training sessions, telling him: "I would love to ride here myself. It must be a terrific experience. I'm getting goose bumps already at the thought. I also have a motocross bike at home, on which I sometimes practise. The countryside around here is just perfect for it with plenty of interesting routes and is also great for getting fit for the mountain bike season."

The ADAC MX Masters is heading next to MC Jauer in Saxony for the second meeting of the season on the 29th - 30th April. The 1,650-metre Am Hahneberg track with its hard surface is not for the faint hearted thanks to its 24 table tops, and adrenaline junkies really get their money's worth on the circuit near Panschwitz-Kuckau. Dominique Thury (24, KTM GST Berlin) will line up as the local favourite for the race weekend in eastern Germany. His aim will be to try and finish among the Top Five in his home county.