Holzgerlingen: 10,000 spectators celebrated the new champions in the four ADAC MX Masters classes during the finale of the ADAC MX Masters at Holzgerlingen. In sunny, early autumn weather, there was plenty of exciting racing in the final rounds of the seven fixtures to watch and admire, including the International German Championship, with very close margins, at times, deciding the winners on a perfectly prepared track. Dennis Ullrich (Bodo Schmidt Motorsport/Husqvarna) had the title in the ADAC MX Masters class in the bag even before the first race had started, because neither of his two rivals, who could still beat him in the standings, were at Holzgerlingen.

"That was certainly a weird moment when I heard sat relaxing on the sofa at home on Friday afternoon that Jens Getteman could not compete due to injury and that Tanel Leok had been seen in the paddock of the motocross world championships in China," said Ullrich, telling us how he felt when he suddenly realised that no one could stop him now from taking his fifth title. "Despite all of that, I obviously still fully intended to show what I can do on my home track at Holzgerlingen. My start was not bad, and then after that, I slowly posted a few laps. I found a good rhythm after a few minutes, started my attack and was able to take the lead pretty quickly. I then rode my own race and was able to secure the win. I just enjoyed the race and showing off a little to my fans." He followed that up in the second race with second place. "I didn't want to take too many risks and am very pleased to have won the title," said the five-time champion after the finish. "Certain people wrote me off last year, but I've demonstrated pretty clearly with this fifth title that I've still got what it takes."

Austrian rider Pascal Rauchenecker (Classic Oil/SHR Motorsports/KTM) made people sit up and take notice by securing pole position on Saturday, but that was by no means all, because he still had a chance of clinching the title of championship runner-up in the absence of Getteman and Leok. And he used that chance to the full, even though he himself didn't really believe he could pull it off. "I knew, of course, that it was mathematically possible but never thought it was a realistic proposition, to achieve 45 points here at Holzgerlingen," said Rauchenecker with a chuckle. "I got off to a good start in the first race, moved into P2 and wanted to maintain that position at all costs in order to keep my chances alive." 26-year-old Rauchenecker pulled out all the stops and secured P2 at the chequered flag. Race 2 turned out even better. "I won the holeshot for the first time ever in the ADAC MX Masters," said the surprised but delighted rider. "Then, of course, I gave it everything I had and was able to win. Amazing!" Tanel Leok (A1M Husqvarna) slipped down into third place in the overall standings thanks to Pascal Rauchenecker's victory. Jens Getteman also lost a place in the rankings and finished the season in fourth place.

Tom Koch (KTM Sarholz Racing Team) was third in the daily standings, and as a result, was also able to secure fifth place in the overall standings with a two-point lead on his brother, Tim (KTM Sarholz Racing). Honestly, I never thought it important to end up in front of my brother. Tim could have had my fifth place in the overall standings. I would not have minded," said Koch with a cheeky grin. "It was just nice to be able to finish on the podium here in the last race." Swiss rider Valentin Guillod (KMP-Honda-Racing) finished Race 1 in third place but had to retire part way through the second round after a fall. Lukas Neurauter (KTM Sarholz Racing) also managed to reach the podium after making a very brave effort, securing third place in the second race. "What a great end to the season!" said the Austrian.

ADAC MX Youngster Cup

The situation before the start of the ADAC MX Youngster Cup could hardly have been more exciting, as Jeremy Sydow (DIGA-Procross Husqvarna) had a lead of only nine points on his closest rival, Rene Hofer (KTM Junior Racing), before the Holzgerlingen finale. Sydow made his title ambitions very clear again with pole position on Saturday and really piled on the pressure in the first race on Sunday. The German rode at full speed through the first corner after the start and led the field into the first lap. But not for long. Sydow hit a rut on the upper section of track so hard that his chain came off, damaging the crankcase. That meant retirement for the race leader after only half a lap!

Hofer also had a good start, was just behind Sydow and took advantage of his position to secure a comfortable victory. Consequently, the Austrian's nine-point deficit turned into a comfortable lead of 16 points. And so, the thrilling scrap between the two front-runners went to the wire in the very last race of the season. Sydow won the start again and booked the win, but Hofer finished third to secure the title. "I did not have the best of starts and just tried to keep calm," said Hofer after his very stressful ride to the title. "Honestly, I didn't dare open the throttle more than half-way. Of course, we both wanted to challenge one another for the title out on track, but you don't always get to choose. I think Jeremy and I have had a great season and will ride side-by-side more often in future."

It's understandable, but Sydow could not really celebrate his race win so great was his disappointment at losing the title. "Of course, I thought the finale would end differently," said the championship runner-up unhappily. "After being forced to retire, I knew, of course, that the title was as good as lost. We've had a great season and I think Rene deserves the title win, so, congratulations to him!" The Austrian, Michael Sandner (Thermotec Racing KTM Team by Mefo Sport), was second. Earlier on Saturday, he had posted the fastest lap and secured P2 twice on Sunday. "I've had a great weekend here at Holzgerlingen," said a delighted Sandner. "The week before was not too good at all for me, because my grandfather passed away on Friday, and I just wanted to secure a good result for him. I think I succeeded." Third place went to Bavarian rider, Lion Florian (KINI KTM Junior Pro Team), who is sponsored by the ADAC Sports Foundation. He finished third and fourth and rounded off his season in style. Third place in the overall championship went to Bastian Bogh Damm (WZ-Racing/KTM).

ADAC MX Junior Cup 125

Simon Längenfelder (WZ-Racing/KTM) became champion before the finale at Holzgerlingen following the no-show by Mike Gwerder (KINI KTM Junior Pro Team) due to injury. Längenfelder, though, who is sponsored by the ADAC Sports Foundation, did not use that as an excuse to show a lack of commitment. "It was, of course, a great pity for Mike. I too would have preferred to win the title on the track, but in racing, you can't pick and choose," said the new champion about the situation. "Still, I started the race fully motivated, got away really well and celebrated the title with a win. I've had a fantastic season and would like to thank everyone who contested this championship. I intend to tackle the ADAC MX Youngster Cup on a 250cc four-stroke machine next year." Second place went to Gwerder, who is still injured.

To Längenfelder's rear, a battle for third overall in the championship raged long and hard between Camden McLellan (Kosak Racing Team/KTM) and Liam Everts (Team KTM Liamski). Everts, the son of ten-time world champion Stefan Everts, was very determined and did not allow his progress to be stopped by a poor start in Race 1. He finished both races in second place. In the overall standings, though, the Belgian still had to settle for fourth place behind South African rider, McLellan, for whom fifth place on the day at Holzgerlingen was good enough to enable him to defend third place in the annual rankings.

Strong showing too from Nico Greutmann (Michelin Reifenwerke MH Racing/Husqvarna), who was able to claim a podium for the first time this year. "I got off to a good start and was able to ride behind Simon Längenfelder for quite a while as we pulled out a small lead which benefited me right to the finish line," he said, delighted with third place on the day.

ADAC MX Junior Cup 85

The title decider in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 came early on Saturday afternoon. 14-year-old Edvards Bidzans (WZ-Racing/Husqvarna) secured the title before season's end with his eighth win of the year and was delighted to have clinched the championship title in this prestigious junior series. "I had a comfortable cushion with a 40-point lead," he said with a big smile on his face at the finish line. "That's why I wasn't too nervous in the race, but of course, it was a relief that I was able to wrap things up on Saturday. As a result, I was able to ride without hindrance on Sunday and really enjoy the race."

Second place on the day went to Valentin Kees (Kosak Racing Team/KTM), who was also the best German rider in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 in fourth overall. "I really don't know what to say. I'm just mega happy!" said the schoolboy, who is sponsored by the ADAC Sports Foundation. Third place went to Julius Mikula (JD Gunnex KTM Racing Team). Danish rider, Tobias Caprani (Kosak Racing Team/KTM), took second place overall in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 from the Belgian, Sacha Coenen (Grizzly Yamaha Junior Team INDG).

The best scenes from the 2019 ADAC MX Masters are being shown worldwide on TV and Internet. Free-to-air broadcaster, Sport1, will feature its 25-minute magazine programme on September 21st at 7.00 pm. Sport1+ will broadcast highlights from the ADAC MX Masters at Holzgerlingen on 22nd September, starting at 7.00 pm. Motorvision TV is showing highlights from the seven race weekends in more than 100 countries. Motorvision International will broadcast the magazine for the first time on September 22nd at 1.30 pm. Race summaries are also available online at adac-mx-masters.de, youtube.de/adac and Facebook.com/adacmxmasters