The ADAC MX Masters headed to Tensfeld in northern Germany to contest its fourth race meet of the season. Conditions were ideal with temperatures of around 20 degrees and a track that had been extremely well prepared. Some 9,000 cheering spectators watched plenty of exciting races and ultimately saw different riders take over the top spots in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup and ADAC MX Masters championships. Guest entrant, Belgian rider Kevin Strijbos (JWR Yamaha), comfortably won the two races in the ADAC MX Masters class. The world championship competitor made for a really exciting second race when he got off to a weak start and had to plough his way through half the field up to the front. He had moved up into second place by lap 6 where his forwards progress was stopped to begin with. "Jens Getteman was a long way in front of me and was setting quite a fast pace," said Strijbos, paying due respect to his fellow Belgian rider. "I couldn't get any closer and had to hope that he would tire."
And Getteman (Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil) was forced to do just that, become tired. "I had a great race and was really fast, but five laps before the end, the guy behind put the hammer down, and not just once," said Getteman, vividly describing his loss of form. "I had to ease off drastically, slow my pace down and focus on securing second place at the finish." As Getteman had finished second in the first race and Tanel Leok (A1M Husqvarna) did not score any points in the second race, the Belgian went to the top of the championship standings and was delighted to take the lead. "It feels really great to be in the lead in the second half of the championship and makes me feel very confident about the three races left on the calendar," said the new ADAC MX Masters leader. "Now's the time to stay focused and hang on to the red plate."
Guest starter Jeffrey Dewulf (WZ-Racing/KTM) finished in third place twice, proving once again that he is always good for a podium on sandy tracks. Dennis Ullrich (Bodo Schmidt Motorsport/Husqvarna) twice finished directly behind the Belgian in P4, thus improving to take second place in the standings and he also carried out his personal plan to the letter. "It's a well-known fact that I don't like riding on sand," said the four-time Masters champion with a chuckle after the race. "But this time, I took my preparations for the race very seriously and trained a lot on sand tracks during the last few weeks. That's paid off and as a result, I've been able to keep my deficit in the championship to within manageable bounds. The all-important phase in the championship will soon be starting with the last three races on hard circuits, which I'm really looking forward to."
Tanel Leok, however, did not experience all that much joy. The Estonian had travelled as championship leader to Tensfeld but had a really terrible weekend. He improved to take P4 after making a poor start in the first race but ran out of fuel on the last lap just 20 metres from the finish. "We didn't top up the tank after the inspection lap, as we'd never had any problems before," he told us in frustration. "I took a tumble in Race 2 while in third place. Although I was able to continue subsequently, the rear of the frame had got broken in the crash and I had to retire a little later, so, this has been a weekend to forget."
ADAC MX Youngster Cup
German rider Jeremy Sydow (DIGA Procross Husqvarna) from Chemnitz celebrated his third consecutive victory in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup at Tensfeld and took the lead in the championship standings as a result. He was beaten in the first race by Rene Hofer (KTM Junior Racing), who had led the championship before this race, but took victory and the lead in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup in the second race with an all-conquering performance. "The last races went really well for me," he told us with evident delight. "Despite having to miss the first round at Fürstlich Drehna due to injury, I now head the overall standings. Of course, I would now like to stay there and will do my utmost to make sure I hang on to the top spot in the remaining races." You see, that's exactly what had happened to Austrian rider, Hofer, at Drehna. He had suffered a major setback shortly after his impressive victory in the first race, had been unable to participate in the second race due to a technical defect and had thus lost the championship lead.
Bastian Bogh Damm (WZ-Racing/KTM) scored enough points with P10 in the first round to secure second place in the rankings and did really well to secure P3 in Race 2, giving him enough points to move into second place in the standings. However, second place on the day at Tensfeld went to Cyril Genot (A1M Husqvarna), who struggled with his starts despite being able to finish on the podium. "I let myself down today with my poor starts," said the Belgian in annoyance. "You cannot fight for victory if you're not up there right from the start. I'm going to have to work on my starts in future." Third place went to Danish rider, Glen Meier (Team Specialmontering/Yamaha), who had a very consistent showing with fifth and fourth place. "Things have finally gone well for me compared to the last two races," he said. "A place on the podium is always great. I'll now have to carry that momentum through to the next couple of races. I too like to ride on hard ground and am very much looking forward to the next meeting at Gaildorf."
ADAC MX Junior Cup 125
15-year-old Simon Längenfelder (WZ-Racing/KTM) continued his impressive winning streak at Tensfeld. He showed no weakness not even on the deep sandy soil of northern Germany and easily kept the competition at a distance to his rear. "It's going really well this year," said the Bavarian, pleased with his fourth victory in the fourth race. "I hope I can continue like that and win the title at the end of the year." Swiss rider, Mike Gwerder (Kini KTM Junior Pro Team), came home second for the third time this year but nevertheless, still felt bullish. "Simon is just hard to beat this season," he conceded after the race. "I was close once again here at Tensfeld, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Still, I won't give up! There are still two more races to go and I intend to hang on in there!"
Last year's winner of the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85, South African rider, Camden McLellan (Kosak Racing Team/KTM), celebrated his first podium finish in the 125cc class. "Actually, I didn't feel too good here at Tensfeld," he said, looking sorry for himself. "I couldn't get a good flow going on the track and had stomach ache in Race 2, so I'm really pleased to have finally made it onto the podium in the 125cc class. I hope it won't be the last time this year. "
The best scenes from the 2019 ADAC MX Masters will again be shown on TV and Internet around the world. Motorvision TV is featuring highlights from the seven race weekends in a 25-minute magazine programme in more than 100 countries. Sport1+ will broadcast highlights from the ADAC MX Masters at Tensfeld for the first time at 9.00 am on July 27th, and Motorvision International will have its first showing of the magazine on July 28th at 1.30 pm. Summaries of the race action are also available online at adac-mx-masters.de, youtube.de/adac and Facebook.com/adacmxmasters.