The 7,800 spectators at Bielsteiner Waldkurs enjoyed perfect weather conditions and exceptionally exciting racing in the third round of the ADAC MX Masters. Pleasant temperatures around the 17°C mark and a superbly prepared track contributed to motorsport of the highest standard. Contestant of the day in the ADAC MX Masters class was Max Nagl (TM Factory Racing). After making a mistake in the early stages of the first round, the Bavarian had to settle for second place behind Hunter Lawrence (KMP Honda Racing) but more than made amends in the second race with an impressive start-to-finish victory. "I got off to a good start in the first race," said Nagl. "But a mistake in the forest section cost me a lot of places. By the time I was back up to second place, Hunter Lawrence was already off in the distance. I was then able to gain some time on him, but I subsequently had a problem with my engine and had to reduce speed."

Having started the second race on his replacement bike at the head of the field, Nagl did not give the opposition any chance, winning by more than 24 seconds ahead of Henry Jacobi (STC Husqvarna Racing) and Jens Getteman (Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil). "I was really annoyed with myself after the first round and so couldn't wait for the second one to get underway," said the championship leader after his impressive victory. "But that was enough for me to forget all of my frustration."

Henry Jacobi had opted to compete at Bielstein on his 250cc machine, which was a decision he had no cause to regret. "I just love riding the 250cc," Jacobi said. "Because the Bielstein circuit is relatively narrow and doesn't have all that many uphill runs, the track here seemed perfect to me. Despite the power deficit, I was able to maintain a high speed, and I'm satisfied with P3 and P2. In the second round, it got quite tight towards the end when I went into a front wheel skid up in the forest section. I was only just able to stay ahead of Getteman." The Belgian was trying to shake off a summer cold shortly before the race in Bielstein and was therefore pleasantly surprised by his performance. "In the first round, I felt completely drained and was unable finish any higher than 13th," said Getteman. "By contrast, Race 2 went a lot better, and I managed to hold on to third ahead of Hunter Lawrence."

Lawrence, who had won the first race by the comfortable margin of more than 13 seconds, did not get off to the same strong start in the second race. "I initially got stuck in traffic and struggled to make forward progress," said the Australian ruefully. "But after a few minutes, things started to go better and I was able to make up a lot of places. Second place in the Sunday rankings is absolutely fine by me. I'll be going home with a smile on my face." Lukas Neurauter (Cofain Racing Team, KTM) finished the day in fourth place on the basis of a P4 and a P5.

ADAC MX Youngster Cup

It would be hard to imagine two more exciting ADAC MX Youngster Cup races. Experiencing a weekend of particularly varying fortunes was Michi Sandner (Thermotec Racing KTM / Mefo Sport Racing Team). The Austrian had already set the fastest lap time in qualifying on Saturday and went on to win the first race on Sunday, despite coming under severe pressure from his opponents. After this perfect start, however, disaster struck at the start of the second race. "The rider next to me jumped the gun, and I'm afraid I got sucked along," said Sandner, visibly annoyed. He slammed his front wheel into the starting gate in the process and subsequently went into the race in last position. "That wasn't especially clever, I know, but I then did everything I could to get back near the front." In an amazing charge through the field, Sandner eventually crossed the line in fifth place, which was enough to give him the runner-up spot in the Sunday rankings.

Winner on the day in the highly competitive Youngster class was Dylan Walsh (Team Diga Procross, Husqvarna), who had earlier been kicking himself after a mistake in the first race. "I felt sure that I could win," said the New Zealander. "But I ruined my chance of victory by coming off my bike." In the second race, Walsh did not allow himself to be discouraged by a mediocre start and went on to secure victory ahead of Rene Hofer (KTM Junior Racing) and Hardi Roosiorg (WZ Racing, KTM).

Hofer's fourth and second-place finishes took him to the remaining rung of the Sunday podium, which was enough for him to consolidate his championship lead. "I am completely satisfied with my performance", said the Austrian teenager. "I won both starts and was able to maintain my overall lead, even though I wasn't too brilliant over the first few laps of Race 1. Next up is Möggers. That may be around 500 kilometres away from where I live, but it's the closest thing to a home race for me. I'm hoping that the local fans will spur me on to deliver a top performance."

ADAC MX Junior Cup 85

In the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85, Constantin Piller (Mefo Sport Racing Team / MSC Freisinger Bär, KTM) celebrated his first day victory of the current season. The Bavarian had laid down a marker on Saturday by setting the fastest lap time in quali and was also in impressive form on Sunday. Piller had appeared to be on course for victory in the first race but eventually had to settle for second place behind Camden McLellan (Kosak Racing Team / KTM) after coming off his bike. In the second moto, however, everything went smoothly, and the young Bavarian was deservedly happy about his victory: "My start was not perfect, but I was right out at the front. I then quickly built up a lead which I defended through to the finish. It's great to have won, but unfortunately I was unable to close the gap on Camden McLellan in the championship standings."

The South African had won the first moto and finished the second as runner-up behind Piller. "I would have liked to win both races, of course," said McLellan. "But I should have got off to a better start in the second race. All the same, the result was enough for me to extend my lead over Liam in the overall standings." Liam Everts (KTM) also made an appearance on the Sunday podium after finishing fourth and third, but the high-flying son of ten-time world champion Stefan Everts was not satisfied with his performance. "I did not have a good weekend here," said the Belgian in a mood of self-criticism. "Normally, I feel at home on a technically challenging track like the one here at Bielstein, but it just did not go well for me today. On the next race weekend, I will come back all the stronger for that."

The best of the action from the ADAC MX Masters can be seen on TV throughout the 2018 season. The Motorvision channel is showing the highlights from the seven race weekends in a 30-minute magazine beamed to more than 100 countries. Motorvision on Sky will be broadcasting the highlights of the ADAC MX Masters at Bielstein for the first time on 8th July, starting at 13:30 CEST. The programme will then be repeated on Motorvision International on 22nd July at 17:30 CEST.