Bringing on young talent is rated very highly in the ADAC MX Masters, and the development of juniors has a long and successful tradition in the motocross racing series. Last weekend, the ADAC invited 30 'trainees' from the ADAC MX Youngster Cup and the ADAC MX Junior Cup to a practice weekend in the 'basins' at MSC Teutschenthal eV's circuit. All German motocross riders from Classes 2 and 3 aged from ten and 21 were eligible to take part, and the first 30 applicants were given places. The youngsters had three days, in which to improve their MX theory and in practice under the tutelage of the two motocross legends, Didi Lacher and Bernd Eckenbach, who are also head coaches in the ADAC MX Academy, aided by two-time ADAC MX Masters winner and 2012 MXoN team world champion Marcus Schiffer.

Classroom sessions about the regulations and knowing what the different flags represent were interspersed with practice out on track and fitness training with jogging, warm-up and stretching exercises as well as tips for getting in tip-top physical condition. "We three coaches make a perfect team and were successful in our efforts to develop the juniors present here. Training took place under real conditions with a starting gate, and the juniors and youngsters had to sort themselves out just like in a real race with ever changing conditions. Consequently, we made great progress on the three days, so that all participants actually made fewer mistakes and felt much safer," said six-time German MX champion Bernd Eckenbach, speaking about the weekend. And Marcus Schiffer, who has acted as rider coach to many MX stars since retiring from competition, was also very impressed with MSC Teutschenthal's input and the motivation shown by the young talents: "The club prepared the circuit for us extremely well. Conditions were exactly like those in the ADAC MX Masters or in the world championship. The track surface had been watered and ploughed up, and the guys here were all just fantastic. You could really tell that each participant wanted to get the best out of the weekend. They were all highly focused and very committed."

The coaches paid particular attention to the newly introduced quali regs for the 'last chance' races of the ADAC MX Youngster Cup. As of 2017, the five best two-stroke and five best four-stroke riders will have the chance to secure one of the 40 places in the line-up, whereas previously, only six competitors could qualify. A lot of juniors are entering the ADAC MX Youngster Cup this season and on their 125cc two-stroke machines will now have to beat off competition from much more powerful 250cc four-stroke bikes. As a result of the new regulation, the number of two-stroke riders taking part in the main race of the ADAC MX Youngster Cup should increase so that more young MX talents will be able to finish in the points.

The following youngsters were among those taking part in training: Laurenz Falke (16, Zap Racing, Husqvarna), Lukas Kengeter (13, KTM Kosak Racing Team), Henning Küchler (14, Team ADAC Nordbayern eV, KTM) and Martin Winter (18, MH Racing, Husqvarna). Tom Schröder (13, Falcon Motorsports, KTM) and Tyler Loth (12, Becker Mowik Racing Team, Yamaha), gained immensely from the expertise of the specialist ADAC MX Junior Cup instructors. "I'm pleased I was able to take part in this unique training weekend, because it's not every day that you're given the chance to get tips from MX greats like Bernd, Didi and Marcus. I learned a great deal, such as how to improve my cornering technique and deal with ruts," said ADAC MX Youngster Cup rider Martin Winter, summing up his weekend. The juniors will be able to apply their newly acquired knowledge on 8th and 9th April in the ADAC MX Masters season opener at Fürstlich Drehna in Brandenburg.