Camden McLellan came a long way to challenge for the 2018 ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 title. Although the 14-year-old has spent much of the past season in Germany, the strict visa regulations applying to South African nationals have obliged him to keep returning to his home in Johannesburg for short intervals. "I have to leave the Schengen area every now and then to comply with the visa requirements," explains McLellan. "That's why I do a lot of flying and am often back with my parents in South Africa."

In Germany, the South African teenager lives without his parents in an informal training commune overseen by Christoph Selent in Dinslaken. "Christoph is my coach, and in addition to me, he looks after Jeremy Sydow and Henry Jacobi. In Henry and Jeremy, I obviously have two great training partners who I can learn a lot from. So I'm in the advantageous situation of having a great coach and great training partners. I'm very happy about that."

McLellan contested his first race at the age of four and subsequently worked his way through all the junior classes in South Africa. "However, the standard of competition at home is simply not comparable to what you get in Europe," says the youngster in explanation of the main motivation for his part-time move to Germany. "Christoph also got in touch with the Kosak Racing Team. Herbert Kosak saw potential in me, and that got the ball rolling."

For the 2018 season, the objectives were clear: "We wanted to win the title in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 and in the European Championship EMX85, and in both of those ambitions, we succeeded. In the long term, I would like to make steady progress and hopefully become the next Jeffrey Herlings or Antonio Cairoli one day." Meanwhile, plans are afoot for the more immediate future of the 2018 ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 champion: "Next year, I'll be competing in the 125cc class. At home in South Africa, I already have a new KTM 125 SX on which I've already put in several practice laps. I hope to be able to carry on as a member of the Kosak Racing Team squad in 2019. It's a great outfit, and I get everything I need there."

Camden's mother will continue to supervise his educational progress. "At home in Johannesburg, I go to school just like anyone else," McLellan explains. "When I'm in Germany, I have either brought my homework with me or I download it from the internet. My mother makes sure I do everything properly and get through all the lesson material. As a rule, I do school work for between three and four hours a day. The rest of the time I spend on motocross."