Around 9,000 spectators witnessed a fantastic weekend of motocross racing as Möggers hosted the fourth round of the ADAC MX Masters. The fans enjoyed perfect weather, an immaculately manicured track and a sequence of exciting races at the Austrian venue close to the borders with both Germany and Switzerland. In the ADAC MX Masters class, there was a surprise winner in the shape of Bence Szvoboda (HTS Team, KTM) celebrating his first success in this German championship with its top-class international line-up. The Hungarian put in the most consistent performance of all the Masters riders with a P2 and a P4 finish to emerge as overall Sunday winner. "This is the greatest success of my career so far," said a delighted Szvoboda. "I had broken my wrist in the opening race at Drehna and have been convalescing for quite a while now. Last month, I got back into training, and now on my comeback, I've been able to celebrate this win. It's an incredible achievement for me."
Runner-up on the day, Jeremy Seewer (Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP Team) from Switzerland had been the clear favourite after qualifying in which he set the best time by a wide margin, but he had a mediocre start in the first race and promptly got into trouble. "A stone damaged my goggles, and I then kept getting dust and dirt in my eyes," said a rueful Seewer. "That was the reason for the fall which thankfully caused no harm but dropped me back down the field." Despite these problems, Seewer put up a valiant fight and worked his way back up to seventh. In the second race, the MX2 World Championship number 2 was at last able to justify his star billing, winning the race by a comfortable margin.
Another rider struggling to compensate for a poor start in the first race was Belgium's Jens Getteman (Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil), but he came back strongly to finish fifth. In the second moto, his reaction time was faster, and he was able to follow Seewer across the line in second place. This was enough for him to claim the final podium spot in the Sunday rankings ahead of Henry Jacobi (STC Husqvarna Racing), who bravely battled his way through despite a finger injury. "I came back from the World Championship race in Indonesia with a bout of tropical fever," explained the 21-year-old. "I spent one night in hospital and was unable to train here beforehand. That's why it wasn't easy for me towards the end of the race. In the second moto, I got hit by a flying stone on my finger and had problems holding on tight to the handlebars. But despite all that, I've still managed to take over at the top of the championship table."
Max Nagl (TM Factory Racing) did not have the happiest of times at Möggers. The Bavarian fractured a finger during the qualifying session when he collided with a barrier at one of the jumps. It was sufficiently serious for him to travel back to his adopted country of Belgium that same evening. Despite winning the first of the two motos, Jeffrey Dewulf (Motorshop Desmet-KTM) still trails Nagl in third place, but the Belgian has gained ground and is now only 14 points behind the ex-series champion.
ADAC MX Youngster Cup
In the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, Roland Edelbacher (Dimoco Europe Racing, KTM) celebrated his birthday in style by delighting the local fans with a home win. "Simply tremendous," said the 19-year-old Austrian. "Unfortunately, I had a bad start in the first race, but my strong performance in the second race was enough for victory on the day. I'm mega happy!" The same could not be said for Jett Lawrence (Team Suzuki Germany). The Australian appeared to have won both races but was subsequently demoted by ten places in first race for ignoring yellow flags. The 14-year-old nonetheless had the satisfaction of winning the second race and finishing third on the day's podium. "Obviously, I'm not happy about the penalty, but that's racing," said a visibly irritated Lawrence. "But I did manage to win both races on the track, and I am proud of that."
Michael Sandner (Thermotec Racing KTM / Mefo Sport Racing Team) served up another treat for the local fans in this class. Two P4 finishes for the Austrian teenager from Rainbach were enough to ensure that the two top steps of the podium were occupied by local riders. He was clearly delighted to be sharing the podium with Edelbacher: "I am very satisfied with the result. However, I could have gone a bit faster, but I just could not get past the opponents; it was really difficult to overtake."
Rene Hofer's (KTM Junior Racing) goggles were chipped by flying gravel in the first moto and he subsequently had problems with visibility. Despite that, the Austrian succeeded in defending his lead in the overall standings with P4 on the day. Dylan Walsh (Team Diga Procross, Husqvarna), who is one of Hofer's main challengers in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, had to miss out on the two races at Möggers. The New Zealander, who had injured his shoulder on Saturday, ruled himself out on Sunday morning.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 125
The ADAC MX Junior Cup 125 at Möggers was dominated by the two current championship leaders. Raf Meuwissen (Raths Motorsports, KTM) took overall victory on the day with a P6 and a P1, but the two third-place finishes for his main rival, Filip Olsson (Team Diga-Procross, Husqvarna) put them on equal points and meant that Olsson maintained his championship lead. "I had bad starts in both races and had to battle my way through the field twice," said the Swede, visibly frustrated. Simon Längenfelder (Pfeil Husqvarna Junior Team) celebrated a maiden podium in the highly competitive junior class. "I never thought that I would be appearing on the podium in my first year on a 125cc bike," said the German. "The track in Möggers was really fun. I'm obviously hoping to return to the podium soon."
ADAC MX Junior Cup 85
In the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85, it once again came down to a straight fight between Liam Everts (KTM), Constantin Piller (Mefo Sport Racing Team / MSC Freisinger Bär, KTM) and Camden McLellan (Kosak Racing Team, KTM). Piller came out ahead in the first moto on Saturday, but it was Liam Everts who dictated the outcome on Sunday. The son of ten-time world champion Stefan Everts did not get off to the best of starts and had to make his way through from outside the Top Ten. This worked out so well for the young Belgian that he ultimately found himself lifting a winner's trophy not only for the Sunday race but also for the whole weekend: "I got into a good rhythm and gained position after position. I was much faster than my opponents on the uphill section preceding the home straight. When McLellan changed lanes on the final lap, I was able to pass him for the win." McLellan finished the day in third place behind Everts and Piller, but despite the loss of five points on the winner he still managed to defend his lead in the overall standings. The South African consoled himself with the thought that his bike would still have the red number plate identifying the championship leader on the next race weekend at Tensfeld.
The best of the action from the ADAC MX Masters will be shown on TV throughout the 2018 season. The Motorvision TV channel shows the highlights of the seven race weekends in a 30-minute magazine broadcast in more than 100 countries. Motorvision on Sky will be showing the highlights from the ADAC MX Masters at Möggers for the first time on 29th July at 13:30 CEST. Motorvision International will then show a repeat of the magazine on 12th August at 17:30 CEST.