More than 18,000 enthusiastic fans came along to the penultimate weekend of the 2018 ADAC MX Masters at Gaildorf. The beautiful late summer weather and mild temperatures will undoubtedly have been a contributory factor to the turnout. Victory on the day at the Auf der Wacht circuit went to Hunter Lawrence (KMP-Honda Racing) who, despite riding an apparently underpowered 250cc four-stroke Honda, still managed to see off the opposition. "I ride this 250cc machine in the MX2 class of the Motocross World Championship, so I'm used to it and have no intention of switching bikes for Masters races," said the Australian. "I was at a bit of a disadvantage on the climbs, but I still managed to set a good pace. I took a tumble early on in the first race, which made things a bit more difficult for me, so in the circumstances, second place was not at all bad. In the second race, my start was pretty good and I was able to control events from the halfway point onwards."
P2 on the day went to guest contestant Jordi Tixier (KTM) who comfortably won the first moto but came off his bike in the second and then had difficulty catching up with the field. "I was able to win Race 1 without any problems, although I was not happy with my performance," said the Frenchman. "However, the second race was no fun at all. I was in pain after my crash and couldn't get back into any sort of rhythm, so I had to settle for sixth place." In P3 on the Sunday podium was another French contestant, Greg Aranda (Sturm Racing Team, Kawasaki). Aranda is in any case regarded as a supercross specialist, but after coming sixth in the first moto, he then excelled himself: "My start was superb, and I even took the lead on the fifth lap. After 15 minutes, I was totally exhausted, but when you're in that position, you just have to give it all you've got. I wasn't able to hold off the challenge from Lawrence, but I at least hung onto second place. That was far more than we had reckoned on going into the race."
Another rider on fabulous form in the second race at Gaildorf was Dennis Ullrich (2-Stroke Revolution Racing, KTM), who finished third for the first time this season. "Although I am actually one of the best starters in the field, I still have big problems getting going in any race on the two-stroke bike," conceded Ullrich. "But I did a good job here in the first corner and got in among the leaders for a change. The track with its hard surface and the corners with plenty of grip really suit me, and I was once again able to show that I haven't forgotten how to ride."
Henry Jacobi (STC Husqvarna Racing) did not get off to a good start in Race 1 and subsequently had no explanation why: "In the World Championship, we start on a metal grid, so take-off is quite different. Consequently, I did some extra training for the race here in Gaildorf, but it obviously did not help." However, thanks to some very consistent riding, the championship leader managed to progress through the field and finish the race in third place. In the second race, however, Jacobi came off his bike in the second corner and then had to steadily work his way back up the field. "Under the circumstances, 13th place was not all that bad," said Jacobi afterwards. "Despite everything, I still managed to extend my lead in the championship."
Jacobi's closest pursuer, Belgium's Jeffrey Dewulf (KTM Sarholz Racing Team), had an off day and had to settle for 16th and 9th. With one race weekend still to come, the Belgian ahead is still in second place but now trails by 33 points.
ADAC MX Youngster Cup
In the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, Jett Lawrence (Team Suzuki Germany) put in an impressive performance. The 15-year-old took the lead early in the first race and secured the win by a margin of more than 24 seconds ahead of Roland Edelbacher (Dimoco Europe Racing, KTM). In the second moto, the Australian maintained his strong from and fought a thrilling battle with Dylan Walsh (Team Diga-Procross, Husqvarna) in the closing stages, though he eventually had to concede defeat. He was none too happy about it afterwards: "I overtook Dylan a couple of times, but he decided to take on the role of party pooper today, constantly depriving me of the lead." But in a more conciliatory tone, he added: "It's been a great day for me all the same. Victory on the day and still leading the championship; you can't ask for more than that." New Zealander Walsh had an explanation for his determination in the second moto: "My first outing here today was not exactly brilliant, with only a sixth-place place finish, and I really wanted to leave here on a high. Being beaten by a 15-year-old is definitely not a success in my book, so I really gave my all to win this."
Third place went to Richard Sikyna, a result that was enough to elevate him to third in the championship. Jeremy Sydow was fourth on the day, mainly on the strength of a podium in the second race. "I've been suffering from a cold, and was really struggling here at Gaildorf," said the young German ruefully. "That's why I was a bit off form on the first few laps. Things then started to go better and I attacked again, which brought me up to third place." Edelbacher had arrived at Gaildorf as championship leader and put in a confident performance in the first race, improving after a weak start to finish as runner-up. In the second moto, however, the Austrian got off to a bad start and finished outside the points. He now finds himself second in the championship table, 13 points adrift going into the final race weekend.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 125
In the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125, Lion Florian (KTM) celebrated his 17th birthday by lifting the Sunday winner's trophy. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé had already set the fastest lap time in his class on Saturday and confirmed that it was no fluke with a P1 and a P2 on Sunday. "I'm absolutely delighted," said Florian afterwards "In the second race, all my wishes came true, and I was able to celebrate my first overall victory on my birthday of all days. It's such a great feeling." Second on the day was Florian's team-mate Mike Gwerder (KTM). The Swiss teenager won the first moto, but had to settle for P3 in the second. "The win was great, of course, but the second race didn't quite go to plan."
Rick Elzinga (MJC Yamaha Team) made it onto the podium in his very first appearance in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125. The Dutch youngster was very pleased with his performance: "I got off to a great start in the second race and am very happy that I was able to finish on the podium here on the first occasion I've competed in this series." Raf Meuwissen (Raths Motorsports, KTM) in P4 had the satisfaction of narrowing the gap on current championship leader Filip Olsson (Team Diga-Procross, Husqvarna), but the Swede remains ensconced at the top. Olsson was seventh on the day to stay ahead in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125 by seven points.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 85
In the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85, Camden McLellan (Cossack Racing Team, KTM) increased his lead over Liam Everts (KTM) by a further three points. McLellan had a successful weekend at Gaildorf, winning the first race on Saturday by a comfortable margin. In the second moto, contested on Sunday morning, the South African fought an intense battle with Everts, during the course of which he unfortunately came off his bike: "Two lapped riders were probably not expecting me to come up from behind, and I was unable to stop myself taking a fall. But hey, that's racing. These things happen. The main thing is that I managed to finish second and slightly extend my championship lead." Everts was much better on Sunday than in the first race and won through with a strong performance. Radek Vetrovsky (JD Gunnex KTM Racing Team) secured third place on the day. Sixth place on Sunday for Constantin Piller (Mefo Sport Racing Team / MSC Freisinger Bär, KTM) was enough for him to move up to third overall.
The best of the action from the ADAC MX Masters is being shown on TV throughout the 2018 season. Motorvision TV channel broadcasts a 30-minute magazine featuring the highlights of the seven race weekends in more than 100 countries. The key moments from the ADAC MX Masters weekend at Gaildorf will be shown for the first time on 23rd September at 13:30 on Motorvision on Sky. Motorvision International will then show the magazine for the first time on 7th October starting at 17:30.