After five rounds, the list of favourites in every class has been whittled down to just a handful of riders, who will go all-out in the penultimate races to go chasing titles. After five rounds, the list of favourites in every class has been whittled down to just a handful of riders, who will go all-out in the penultimate races to go chasing titles. Apart from the regular crop of riders, the Bielstein line-up will be boosted by two top stars from the MX world championship. Jeffrey Herlings (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), 2018 MXGP World Champion has announced his intention to ride in the ADAC MX Masters at Bielstein.

In addition to the Dutchman, another top rider from the Motocross World Championship, Latvian Pauls Jonass (Rockstar IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing), will be in the line-up. The 2017 MX2 World Champion is contesting this season's MXGP World Championship with the Husqvarna works team and is currently in seventh place. He's ridden in the ADAC MX Masters from being a wee nipper and won the ADAC MX Junior Cup in 2011. And finally, there'sone more guest entrant with podium ambitions at Bielstein, as Swiss rider, Valentin Guillod (KMP-Honda-Racing), will be competing. He had a successful showing as a guest starter in the second round of the ADAC MX Masters at Möggers, Austria, where he twice finished fifth.

Apart from the two world championship stars, Herlings and Jacobi, the three riders currently at the head of the championship standings in the ADAC MX Masters class also have the podium firmly in their sights. Just 19 points separate Jens Getteman (Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil), Dennis Ullrich (Bodo Schmidt Motorsport/Husqvarna) and Tanel Leok (A1M Husqvarna) in the run-up to the sixth race and all three have a realistic chance of winning the title.

In the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, the current championship standings look even more exciting, as Jeremy Sydow (DIGA-Procross Husqvarna) has a mere one-point lead on Rene Hofer (KTM Junior Racing). They are both riding high at the moment after having good showings recently in the European and World Championships. These two rivals will approach Bielstein with a great deal of confidence and will do their utmost to win through in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup as well. Another strong junior, Danish rider, Bastian Bogh Damm (WZ-Racing/KTM), is in third place, waiting for the top two riders to make a mistake and could be a threat. He is only ten points behind Sydow and as a result, also has a real chance of claiming the title.

Many guest riders will be contesting the ADAC MX Youngster Cup to add spice to the races, including New Zealander Dylan Walsh (DIGA-Procross Husqvarna), who currently lines up in the MX2 World Championship. He booked fourth place in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup last year despite missing a race. It should also prove very interesting to see how Simon Längenfelder (WZ-Racing/KTM), Mike Gwerder (KINI KTM Junior Pro Team) and Camden Mc Lellan (Kosak Racing Team/KTM) perform. These three currently lead the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125 standings and will use the break in the Junior series to see how they fare at Bielstein in competition with the ADAC MX Youngster Cup riders, who are that bit older and more experienced.

In the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85, the title could be decided at Bielstein before the season has even ended. Latvian rider Edvards Bidzans (MX Module/Husqvarna) currently has a 53-point lead and would like to wrap things up there. “It’s going really well for me this year,” he said. “Bielstein is a great track and I hope I can celebrate winning the title there!”

At any rate, there will be plenty to keep fans entertained at the weekend apart from the on-track action. For example, for families with children, there will be the Suzuki quad-bike parcours and the ADAC Insurance bouncy castle. An autograph-signing session will also take place at 12.00 noon on Sunday at the ADAC Truck where the top stars Jeffrey Herlings, Henry Jacobi, Jens Getteman, Dennis Ullrich and Tanel Leok will make themselves available to sign autographs and take photos with fans.

Bielstein is part of the town of Wiehl located about 50 kilometres to the east of Cologne. With keen prices to suit the family, a great support programme and plenty of nearby parking, the event attracts many fans every year. Practice on both days starts at 9.00 am. The races on Sunday kick off at 10.30 am. A weekend ticket for adults costs 20 euros but just 10 euros for those attending on Saturday only. The ticket price for Sunday only is 17 euros. ADAC members buying tickets in advance from an ADAC Centre or via the ADAC ticket shop at adac.de/ticketshop can benefit from a two-euro discount on the weekend ticket price. Teenagers between the ages of 12 and 15 can get a 50% reduction on ticket prices. Children up to 12 years of age are admitted for free when accompanied by an adult.