Rookie – this term has a very special significance for Marnique Appelt from Woltersdorf in Brandenburg. Last year, the ADAC MX Youngster Cup rider was one of five young talents from Europe invited to attend an MXGP Rookie Camp organised by Youthstream and FIM in the Netherlands. The goal, to support young riders, show them something of the life of an MX star and what you have to do to achieve that status. Since then, the dream of turning professional has drawn closer than ever. On the 30th of July, the 15-year-old lined up for the first time in the Junior World Championship in Estonia – an opportunity he had been hoping would materialise for a long time. Eventually, he would like to be able to ride as well as his two big idols, Hunter Lawrence and Bas Vaessen, whom he admires for their ambition and wide-ranging ability.

But first, Marnique wants to work on his career and thinks that the best place to do that is in the ADAC MX Masters. The schoolboy contested two races in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup in 2016 but was unable to start the season until Bielstein this year due to injury. Marnique, speaking about his experiences as a rookie: “Making the switch to Class 2 from the ADAC MX Junior Cup, in which I rode in 2015, was very tough. Not only did I have to get used to the distinctly different sound of the 250cc four-stroke, I also came up against a standard of rider that is much better. I’ve got to really take care of myself in the Youngsters, but nevertheless, I still feel very much at ease, because I’m constantly making progress.” His debut this season, however, was not quite as successful as the teenager had first hoped. “My opening race was somehow very typical. I had planned to accomplish a great deal during my first weekend racing but was unable to realise everything that I’d intended. I didn’t qualify at Bielstein, unfortunately, so we had to leave my first ADAC MX Masters meeting of the year on the Sunday morning.”

However, the 15-year-old is not about to let that discourage him – it would take quite a bit more than one or two setbacks to do that. “Sure, it’s frustrating, but you don’t learn anything from winning. If I’m not winners’ row, then I see that as a lesson to be learnt and try to do things better next time,” said the ADAC MX Youngster Cup rider proudly. Besides, Marnique first got the taste for motocross as a toddler when his dad, Uwe, used to take him to MX races while he was still at kindergarten. Marnique: “My dad raced motocross in DM and DMSB cup fixtures at all sorts of tracks, and I would often go with him, which greatly smoothed my way into off-roading, as you can imagine.”

Someone gave him his first PeeWee bike when he was three, after which, his dad then supported him as coach and fed his son’s passion. “I started to train properly and actively take part in sport once I was big enough to ride a 65cc machine. I contested my first race at Schenkenhorst in the Brandenburg national championship aged seven and was able to book fourth place no problem. That gave me a big boost,” said the 15-year-old.

He became German champion in the 65cc class in 2014 and finished third on the podium in the same championship but one class higher the following year. Marnique: “The feeling of winning in motocross is indescribable, because you have to fight very hard for it, so it’s like a kind of liberation when you’re crowned with the winner’s laurels as reward for all your intensive training and for managing to achieve all that you wanted to accomplish.”

Marnique does strength and endurance training four times a week, works on his fitness in his home gym and goes running regularly. Marnique: “I was given a detailed training plan at the MXGP Rookie Camp in Holland. The intervals between exercises are tuned precisely to match my heart rate and are therefore very effective.” He is doing well In terms of building muscle, and it’s only where his riding style in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup is concerned that the young rider has plenty to do. “I’m still pretty defensive at the moment and prefer to let someone pass rather than risk a fall. However, I’m currently training very hard so as to be better able to beat off the competition,” said the rider, who wears the number 440 on his riding overalls. By the way, Marnique is already really looking forward to the race at Gaildorf, as the Auf der Wacht track with its mix of supercross sections, long and short jumps and flowing passages is his favourite circuit.