Due to the large number of teams taking part, even the paddock becomes a highlight in itself, because when there's no action out on track, that is where the international MX elite can be found with their respective teams.

The three biggest teams this season are KTM Kosak Racing, Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil and STC Racing. Team Principal Herbert Kosak has been involved in motocross for more than 40 years and is also among those who have been part of the ADAC MX Masters race series since its inception. He will field 15 riders in 2017 and has the biggest line-up in the paddock this season. Team boss Kosak hopes to achieve top rankings in the Masters class with Frenchman Sulivan Jaulin, Swiss rider Andy Baumgartner and Maik Schaller, the MX talent from Rudersberg while it will be the job of Glen Meier, Pit Rickert, Maurice Wasilewski, Vincent Peter, Rico Siebert, Lukas Kengeter and Robin Konrad to do the business in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup. In addition, Team KTM Kosak Racing will be supporting five ADAC MX Junior Cup riders, including Max Thunecke, Kevin Geiger, Collin Wohnhas, Sebastian Meckl and Andreas Sarre. "It's great to be back in the ADAC MX Masters this year, and we're well placed in all three classes. Our riders are busy, getting prepared and itching to get started at Drehna," said Herbert Kosak, who received the Michael Spacek prize in 2016 for his extraordinary commitment to training young MX talents.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil, headed up by Team Principal Harald Pfeil, were also in on the start of the ADAC MX Masters. The team from Dreitzsch will field eleven riders in 2017. Seven of them, Filip Neugebauer, Luca Nijenhuis, Stephan Büttner, Jens Getteman, Tobias Linke, Khoun-Sith Vongsana and Maximilian Kleylein will contest the 'big boys' class. Simon Jost, Julien Lebeau and Jonas Oerter intend to prove themselves in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup while Nikita Kucherov is entered in the ADAC MX Junior Cup. "We're well placed this year. I think my team are just great. Little Nikita is pretty good and fast, so I really hope that he'll make it into the Top Five. I feel the same about Khoun-Sith, Filip und Jens, who are real stalwarts, all three of them, and could also finish among the Top Five," said team boss Harald Pfeil, looking into his crystal ball.

STC Racing are another big outfit. Team Principal Colin Streubel has entered eleven motocross riders this season in the ADAC MX Masters. STC Racing are fielding four riders in the ADAC MX Masters - Henry Jacobi, Jaap Corneth, Michael Kratzer, David Schoch plus Luca Bruggmann. Nico Seiler, Cyrill Brumann, Joan David Rosell Romero and Justin Trache will fly the flag in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup for the North German team from Hanstedt. In the ADAC MX Junior Cup, the team are pinning their hopes on Kevin Brumann and Luka Pfalz. "Henry Jacobi is definitely an A-class rider, so we're hoping he can place in the Top Three, and even our youngest junior, Kevin Brumann, has got what it takes and could make a real name for himself in the ADAC MX Junior Cup," said team boss Colin Streubel, who has been involved with his team in the ADAC MX Masters since 2011.

KTM Sarholz Racing may not have quite as many riders with their six MX competitors, but just like the teams run by Harald Pfeil and Herbert Kosak, they have stayed loyal to the ADAC MX Masters through thick and thin. Managed by Burkhard Sarholz's grandson, Andre Sarholz as of this year, the team have taken part ever since the first-year launch of the racing series in 2005. Moreover, the outfit from Niederroßbach in Germany's south-west can boast no less than three wins in the ADAC MX Masters for their top rider Dennis Ullrich, or Ulle, as he is called by everyone. By the way, he'll be lining up with Angus Heidecke for KTM Sarholz Racing once again this year and intends to compete up front in this top-class series. Vinni Gallwitz will again ride for Sarholz in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup as he did in 2016, and Tom Koch will also compete in Class 2 this year. The old-established team have entered the two brothers, William and Victor Voxen, in this year's ADAC MX Junior Cup.

Sturm Racing are another outfit who were among the first to contest the ADAC MX Masters. Their Team Principal is Robert Sturm. His son, Robert Junior, took part in the series from a very early age. The outfit from Kissing in Bavaria have entered four riders - Gregory Aranda, Nicholas Schmidt, Xaver Hess and Robert Sturm - in the ADAC MX Masters in 2017. In the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, it will be down to Martin Krc and Johannes Klein to cook up a storm. "We have two sure-fire aces in the pack with Greg Aranda and Nicholas Schmidt. They won't be contesting a full season in the Masters but intend to line up for a couple of weekends in the south of the country. We're looking forward to this season and can't wait to see the results! Nicholas has already had a good showing this year as overall winner of the ADAC SX series," said team boss, Robert Sturm.

Just like Team Principal Robert Sturm, team boss Bert von Zitzewitz from BvZ Racing also has a son who has churned up the dirt in the ADAC MX Masters since childhood. Davide von Zitzewitz contested his first ADAC MX Youngster Cup race in 2008 and has been one of the 'big boys' in the Masters class since 2014. He's aiming to secure plenty of points again in 2017. Danish rider Mads SjØholm is also a member of the team run by the former German MX world champion. He will represent BvZ Racing in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup. "Mads is an extremely dedicated rider and would give the shirt off his back for the sport. He's really good on sand, which should help him tremendously at Drehna, Tensfeld and Mölln. After a three-month break due to injury last year, Davide will have to get back into the swing of things but is well up for the Masters meetings," said team boss Bert von Zitzewitz, who, together with his son Davide, brother Dirk and father Volker, is part of a motocross dynasty that stretches back four generations.

This will be their seventh season in the ADAC MX Masters for Team Principal Alex Karg and KMP Honda Racing. Jeremy Delince, Frenchman Kevin Fors and German MX talent Lars Reuther are keen to make their debut in the top flight. Swiss rider Enzo Steffen, Spaniard Joel Pascal Costas and Pascal Jungmann will line up in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup for the team from Ketsch in Baden-Württemberg. In the ADAC MX Junior Cup, Marlon Schmidt, Fabian Kling and Keanu Alm will fly the flag for KMP Honda Racing in 2017. "Our team stands for harmony and ambition. I think it's always important that we all get on well and can motivate each other as a result," said team boss Alex Karg, revealing the secret behind his squad's success.

2010 was also the first year for Team Castrol Power1 Suzuki Moto-Base and their Team Principal Michael Peters, or Michi, as everyone calls him. He used to ride motocross and knows just how important it is to have a professional environment for motocross riders nursing ambitions of an international career. This year, he will be concentrating on two ADAC MX Masters riders, Stefan Ekerold and Mike Stender. "Mike became German champion in 2015, placed tenth in the European Championship and seventh in the ADAC MX Masters. He's aiming to show the 'big boys' this year, that North Germans are serious competition and is hoping for a finish in the Top Five. He will once again be lining up in the EMX. Unlike Mike, this will be Stefan's first time in the Masters class, and he is hoping not only to be able to qualify but also to achieve good rankings. At any rate, I've taken the conscious decision to focus on these two young talents in 2017 and be in a position to really look after the pair of them," said team boss Michi Peters, who is based in Buxtehude along with his motocross team.

The two teams, KTM GST Berlin and Bodo Schmidt Motorsport, have also been long-standing competitors in the ADAC MX Masters. Both teams have excelled in the past thanks to the outstanding performance of their riders, but for years now, both Team Principals have preferred to focus on nurturing individual MX talents and giving them their support, so that they appear to have only a small team in the paddock. KTM GST Berlin have five motocross riders, who want to make their mark in 2017. Apart from their stalwart rider, Christian Brockel, Dominique Thury and Toni Hoffmann will also be rooting for points in the Masters class. The Berlin-based squad will field Ben Kobbelt and Chris Grunert in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup. "Christian Brockel is our 'veteran' rider in the squad. This will be his sixth season with us, and he really intends to go out with a bang in what will probably be his last year in action. To put that in more concrete terms, he's aiming to finish on the top rung of the podium at the end of this season. Nique Thury is our second-strongest rider. He has already competed for us previously in the last Supercross season and performed well, securing third place in Stuttgart, so he will have a good chance of finishing on the podium. Toni Hoffmann is new to the team. He has already achieved a great deal of success at a regional level during the past few years. He needs to surmount the quali hurdle, though, so as to be able to score points in the main race and slot into the Top Twenty in the ADAC MX Masters at the end of the year," said team boss, Christoph Lessing, speaking about his line-up in the Masters class.

Team Principal Bodo Schmidt from Bodo Schmidt Motorsport will continue to fully support the development of juniors after fielding Thomas Kjer Olsen, who placed third in last year's ADAC MX Youngster Cup. His latest protégé is 15-year-old German rider David Cherkasov, who intends to try his luck in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup in 2017. "David is a really talented MX rider in my opinion. We'll try to let him continue on a 125cc machine for as long as possible, so that he can accumulate plenty of experience and steadily improve. I think that the Youngster class of the ADAC MX Masters race series is the best place for David to prepare for the EMX125 where I hope to see him on the podium in 2018," said Bodo Schmidt, speaking about his new team member.

We will introduce you to more teams in the next ADAC MX Masters booklet.