Track conditions were perfect as guest starter Kevin Strijbos (JWR Yamaha) qualified ahead of the regular field in the fourth round of the 2019 ADAC MX Masters at Tensfeld. "I like competing in the ADAC MX Masters," said the world championship rider. "The races are well organised and are always contested on the most fantastic tracks. That’s why I'm using this free weekend to race here at Tensfeld. It fits in nicely with my training schedule and is also excellent practice for the upcoming world championship race at Lommel." Strijbos regards his participation this weekend as more than just a training run, as was quite evident from the effort he put into Saturday’s qualifying. Strijbos wasn’t pulling any punches as he denied Tanel Leok (A1M Husqvarna) pole position. "If I’ve come here to race, then I obviously want to win," said the Belgian, who already has one podium to his credit from when he appeared at Tensfeld in 2016. "I'll be giving it everything I’ve got in tomorrow’s races and trying to win both of them."
Leok, who had arrived at Tensfeld leading the championship, qualified just 0.361 seconds behind Strijbos and did not seem at all worried. "The choice of starting position is not so crucial here," insisted the Estonian. "The two races will be long and hard, so it will be important to ride consistently and not make too many mistakes."
In the second qualifying group, Jens Getteman (Monster Energy Kawasaki Elf Team Pfeil) set the fastest lap with a time of 1:44.347 minutes, which entitles him to start from second in Sunday’s race. The Belgian seemed surprised at coming out top in his group: "Normally, I'm not so good at producing a fast lap, but this time it worked out pretty well. I’m feeling really strong at the moment, and I’m looking forward to the races. It doesn’t bother me that Strijbos and Leok were that little bit faster. We don’t start scoring points until Sunday, and I’m in a very good position."
The same could also be said of Dennis Ullrich (Bodo Schmidt Motorsport/Husqvarna), who is currently third in the championship. The four-time Masters champion is, by his own reckoning, neither a friend of sandy circuits nor is he known to excel in qualifying, so he can feel reasonably satisfied with fifth on Sunday’s grid.
ADAC MX Youngster Cup
In the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, Cyril Genot (Genot Racing KTM Team) starts both of Sunday’s races from pole position. The Belgian set the fastest lap time in the junior class (01:44.527 minutes) and intends to capitalise on it on Sunday. "Obviously, if you clock the fastest lap in qualifying, you aim to win the races as well," said the young Belgian with a laugh. "I hope the track will have bedded in even more by Sunday, because then I’ll feel even more confident." Genot currently shares fourth place in the championship with Jeremy Sydow (Diga-Procross Husqvarna) and is keen to progress up the table with two strong races. Second fastest in this qualifying group was Glen Meier (Team Specialmontering/Yamaha) ahead of Bastian Bogh Damm (WZ-Racing/KTM).
Sydow and championship leader Rene Hofer (KTM Junior Racing) were locked in a close-fought encounter in the first qualifying group which eventually went the way of the teenager from Chemnitz. However, only by a wafer-thin margin of 0.019 seconds. "Up to now, Tensfeld hasn’t counted as one of my favourite tracks," said Sydow with a broad grin. "But this time I had a lot of fun on the sandy surface and got really good momentum going. I’ve been training a lot on sandy tracks in the last few days, and I think I’m well prepared. The main thing is to start well tomorrow and then deliver two solid races."
ADAC MX Junior Cup 125
Simon Längenfelder (WZ-Racing/KTM) made sure that the ADAC MX Junior Cup was a tense affair on this occasion. The championship leader had to bide his time with a place among the Top Three before grabbing pole position in literally the last minute. "Of course, I knew that I had only one chance left and therefore threw everything into it," said the Bavarian. "At the beginning of the lap, I had a good feeling, but then I had to get past some slower riders. It was looking tight again, but in the end it was enough. It’s obviously a great feeling to have first choice of starting place on Sunday."
Second place went to Längenfelder’s teammate Rasmus Pederson (WZ-Racing/KTM). Mike Gwerder (KINI KTM Junior Pro Team), who is currently second in the ADAC MX Junior Cup, will start Sunday’s race from fifth.