Under clear blue skies on Saturday, fans at the perfectly prepared Grambeker Heidering circuit near Mölln in Northern Germany witnessed some great motocross action. Championship leader Tanel Leok (A1M Husqvarna) set the fastest lap on the sandy track and was subsequently upbeat about his prospects for the races on Sunday. "My pole time was actually not the fastest lap I could have posted," said the Estonian. "Towards the end of the session, I was going a lot faster, but I had to break off the attempt because I had a slow rider ahead of me in the queue at the pit lane. In the two races tomorrow, the start is going to be very important, because it is not easy to make up for lost time here on this track. But I think the track will have bedded in nicely compared to today, and it will then ultimately be a test of physical fitness out there in these high temperatures."
In the second qualifying group, it was Jonathan Bengtsson (KTM) who topped the timesheets. "I've felt good here right from the start," said the Swede assuredly. "I was having fun on the track, so the good lap times just came about naturally. The weather doesn't worry me - I'm used to high temperatures. Let's see what we can get out of the races themselves now. I'm not under pressure, so first and foremost, I'll be going out there to have fun." Tom Koch (KTM Sarholz Racing Team) was just short of Bengtsson' time by five hundredths of a second, but was still pleased to have secured his best ever qualifying result in the ADAC MX Masters class. Also professing himself satisfied was Mike Stender (Kosak Racing Team/KTM). The local favourite had broken his wrist five weeks ago and was only able to get back into training on a bike a few days ago. Third place in his group was surprisingly gratifying under the circumstances.
Also putting in a strong performance was guest starter Calvin Vlaanderen (HRC Honda MX2). The Honda works rider will be competing on a 250cc machine at Mölln and, despite a displacement and power handicap, he was the only other qualifier apart from Leok to set a lap time of under 01:47 minutes.
ADAC MX Youngster Cup
The fastest lap time in qualifying for the ADAC MX Youngster Cup was posted by Bastian Bogh Damm (WZ-Racing / KTM). The Dane got his act together right at the beginning of the qualifying session, and none of his opponents were able to beat his time of 01:44.339 minutes. "I was the first rider to get out on the track, and that was certainly no disadvantage," said the 17-year-old with a broad grin. "The track is not really sandy, but I really like the surface anyway, and I'm well prepared for the heat on race day. I have deliberately been drinking a lot of water over the past few days to get myself in good physical shape for these high temperatures." Second place in this group went to Austria's Michi Sandner (Termotec Racing KTM Team by Mefo Sport) ahead of Doydas Karka (COFAIN Racing Team/Falcon Motorsport/KTM) from Latvia.
The second qualifying group was topped by Mikkel Haarup (Rock Star IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing). The Mölln weekend is the first this season that the Dane has contested the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, and he immediately made a big impression. "The track is not easy," said the Husqvarna works rider at the end of qualifying. "But I feel very good on the bike and was able to put in two or three really fast laps. It won't be straightforward tomorrow in the heat, but I'm still aiming to win." Cyril Genot (Genot Racing KTM Team) was a good half-second behind Haarup, but nonetheless secured a decent starting position with P2 in the group. Jeremy Sydow (DIGA-Procross Husqvarna) moved up to third in the final minute.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 125
Simon Längenfelder (WZ-Racing/KTM) booked pole position in the ADAC MX Junior Cup. The championship leader was more than half a second faster than Camden McLellan (Kosak Racing Team/KTM) in the runner-up spot and was sounding very confident about Sunday's races. "I made a number of minor errors on my fast laps," conceded the 15-year-old. "Yet despite that, I still managed to put in some fast times. I like the track here, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow. They say it's going to be very hot, but that doesn't really bother me. I hope that the circuit will bed in a bit more, then the conditions will be perfect for me." Third place went to the Danish teenager Rasmus Pedersen (WZ-Racing/KTM). Mike Gwerder (KINI KTM Junior Pro Team), currently second in the championship standings, had to settle for ninth place.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 85
For the first time this season, the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 produced a new winner. After appearing on the top rung of the podium in all four of the races so far, Edvards Bidzans (MX Module/Husqvarna) had to settle for the runner-up spot at Mölln. "My race was not optimal," admitted the Latvian. "But I can still be satisfied with the result. As far as championship is concerned, second place today is no problem at all." The rider who dominated proceedings in Race 1 at Mölln is competing in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 for the first time this year and is therefore effectively out of contention for the title. However, the qualities displayed by Cas Valk (DIGA-Procross Husqvarna) in the race were enormously impressive. The Dutch teenager shot out of the starting gate as if he had been stung by a scorpion. By the end of the first two laps, he had already built up a comfortable lead. "I got off to a great start and was able to quickly pull out a respectable gap on the rest of the field," said the 14-year-old with obvious delight. "Hopefully it will be just as good tomorrow in the second race!" Third was Belgium's Sacha Coenen (Grizzly Yamaha Junior Team). Valentin Kees (Kosak Racing Team/Husqvarna) was the best placed of the German contingent in seventh.