Unexpectedly heavy rain during the night made the sixth round of the ADAC MX Masters at Bielstein especially challenging for riders. The ground was very muddy and slippery in the morning. The track gradually dried during the day, giving much better grip as a result, but the excitement in the races never let up. On the contrary, the 7,200 spectators were able to watch first-class motorsport at world-class standard in all three classes. The two world champions, Pauls Jonass (Rockstar IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing) and Jeffrey Herlings (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), had a thrilling scrap in the ADAC MX Masters class. Herlings was in front on Saturday, setting a new lap record in qualifying, but had to let Jonass take the lead twice on Sunday.
"It’s never easy to come back from a long break after injury and compete against guys who have been racing every weekend for months," said the 2018 MXGP World Champion. "I struggled a bit to really get going in the first race but was able to attack again and have another crack at Jonass over the final stages, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for a serious attack. I had a minor fall while overtaking which was not serious. Unfortunately, it cost me so much time that I was no longer able to contend for the win. Nevertheless, the race was great training for me and a lot of fun. I really enjoy riding in the ADAC MX Masters."
Husqvarna works driver Jonass was on top form in both races and was delighted with his double victory. "I really enjoyed both races," he told us with a chuckle. "The track was very demanding due to overnight rain, so you had to be very focused at all times. I had to go all-out to get the better of Jeffrey but it was great training for the upcoming world championship races." Dennis Ullrich (Bodo Schmidt Motorsport/Husqvarna) took third place on the day behind the two guest riders from the MXGP World Championship. The four-time ADAC MX Masters champion took another important step towards a possible fifth title and travels to the finale at Holzgerlingen as the new championship leader. "My plan was to win through at the start of the race, ride for a few laps in the lead and then allow myself to be swept along by Herlings or Jonass," said Ullrich. Things in the second race actually played out exactly as he had planned. In the first round, though, the path to sixth place was much tougher. "I was too aggressive as I rode out of the gate and then fell in the hustle and bustle of the first lap," said Ullrich. "After that, it was extremely tough and tedious, so I have to be very satisfied with the result."
Austrian Pascal Rauchenecker (Classic Oil/SHR Motorsports/KTM), who was third in the first race for the first time this year, was also pleased. "I’m very happy to be back on the podium," he said. "The races on sand did not really suit me, but I felt really comfortable here on hard ground. Also, the rain in the night and this morning certainly benefited me quite a bit." Jens Getteman (Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil) came to Bielstein as championship leader but could not contest the second round after being forced to retire following a crash in Race 1.
ADAC MX Youngster Cup
Fans were treated to two exciting races in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup with plenty of thrilling scraps for victory. Guest entrant, Mikkel Haarup (Rockstar IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing) ultimately won both races again but had to work hard to get the better of Jeremy Sydow (DIGA-Procross Husqvarna). "Fortunately, I had good starts in both races," said a happy Haarup. "I was unable to pull away from Sydow and we had to deal with backmarkers very early on, so I could not allow myself to make any mistakes."
19-year-old Sydow, on the other hand, had two irons in the fire but ultimately opted for the sensible solution. "Of course, I always want to win when at the start of a race," he said. "But still, I also had to keep an eye on the overall standings and the championship here. As a guest starter, Mikkel is not competing for the title so it would not have been smart of me to risk a fall just so that I could win on the day. This way, I’m able to extend my lead in the overall standings with second place and can go into the last race with a small nine-point advantage."
With second place of the day, Austrian Rene Hofer (KTM Junior Racing) was able to keep the gap on Sydow within bounds but was not really satisfied with his performance. "That was a tough weekend, for sure!" said a disappointed Hofer. "Unfortunately, my starts let me down a bit. I also had to pit to change my glasses in the first race because of the mud. But I won’t give up and will try everything in the finale at Holzgerlingen."
Two ADAC Sports Foundation protégés with strong showing. Lion Florian (KINI KTM Junior Pro Team) fought his way through the mud in the first race and still managed to claim a podium despite a pit stop to change his spectacles. "I didn’t expect to be so successful," said the Bavarian. "But I made a great start and did well in the race except for my pit stop." 15-year-old Simon Längenfelder (WZ-Racing/KTM) was taking advantage of the break in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125 to make a guest appearance in the next higher class. He did not finish on the podium but made an impressive debut in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup with fourth place in the second round.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 85
Something happened that was to have serious consequences even before the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 had started. Championship leader, Latvian Edvards Bidzans (MX Module/Husqvarna) was not allowed to contest the race, because his bike was late arriving at pre-start, costing him the chance to wrap up the title in the penultimate race. "There was no problem with the bike. We simply made a mistake with the time," he said with disappointment. "But the rules are clear, and we have to accept them." In the second race, the rider who has dominated proceedings so far this season plugged the gap a little and gave himself and his team some consolation at least by securing the race win.
While Bidzans was consigned to the role of mere spectator in the first race, 13-year-old Maximilian Werner (Team Motorrad Waldmann/Suzuki) laid the foundations for his biggest success to date with his first race win in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85. Despite only finishing seventh in the second round, it was still enough for victory on the day. "I just leaped for joy when my mechanic told me that I’d won the daily standings," said the schoolboy, delighted with his success. "My start to the second race was not good and I was only able to gain a few places. It’s incredible, though, that it was enough to give me the win on the day!" Danish rider, Tobias Caprani (Kosak Racing Team/ KTM) took second place in the daily standings from Sacha Coenen (Grizzly Yamaha Junior Team INDG), who was third.
The best scenes from the ADAC MX Masters will again be shown on TV and Internet worldwide in 2019. Free-to-air TV broadcaster, Sport1, will show its 25-minute magazine programme on September 8th at 11.30 pm. Sport1+ will feature highlights from the ADAC MX Masters at Bielstein on 8th September at 12.55 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 8th September at 1.30 pm. Race summaries are also available online at adac-mx-masters.de, youtube.de/adac and Facebook.com/adacmxmasters.