Title win comes after switching to a two-stroke. Injuries have delayed his international career. World Championship is the long-term goal.

Munich. Marcel Stauffer (AUT) from the Sturm STC Racing Team has for many years been one of the biggest Motocross talents from the Alpine republic. Claiming the title in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup is his biggest success so far. In 2014, Stauffer won his first national title in the 85cc class. Now 20 years old, he is a four-time Austrian champion and has already been part of the national team in the Motocross of Nations. A number of injuries have rather put paid to his international career, but Stauffer has now fought back with victory in the 2021 ADAC MX Youngster Cup. We chatted to him about the exciting season, in which he secured the title in the final race.

Congratulations on winning the title in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup. Did you expect that? Marcel Stauffer: “At the start of the season, I was not reckoning on anything. I just wanted to ride the first race and see how I got on. I promptly finished second overall in Bielstein. That showed me that I had a chance of winning the title, and I wanted to go on the attack. I kind of saved myself over the three sand races. I have become a better sand rider this year. Going into the finale in Reutlingen, I knew that this was my surface and that I could win. It worked out superbly.”

Heading to Reutlingen, you were just a few points behind Maximilian Spies. Were you nervous? “I was a little nervous, but I knew that I could only beat myself. I nearly managed that too, with my somersault on the final jump in the last race! I have had some very good races on hard ground this year and really built up my confidence. I found good lines in Reutlingen and had good pace.”

After the season-opener in Bielstein, you wasted little time in switching to the two-stroke bike. Is the two-stroke an advantage? “It depends on the track. The two-stroke has a little more power in the mid to high speed range, but you have less torque from below, which is the biggest disadvantage compared to the four-strokes. If that changes, then I am sure that many more people will be successful on two-strokes. You have to be able to ride it too – personally, I have already coped well on it, even in the 125cc class. In Dreetz, I lined up in a race on it for the first time after just one day’s practice, and it went well. The whole thing was a little project from KTM, to show that Fantic are not the only ones who build good two-strokes, on which you can win races.”

In you and Maximilian Spies, two two-stroke riders have established themselves at the top of the championship. “I find that really cool and believe that more riders will line up on them next year. That would please me, as I am a two-stroke fan and love the sound. It reminds me of the old days. I am sure that if the MX2 world championship would also allow people to ride on 250cc two-strokes, then you would see more of them too.”

How did you get into Motocross? “My father gave me a motorbike for my fourth birthday. As a child, I did a lot of riding with René Hofer. We were actually team-mates and spurred each other on. That was great back then. Unfortunately, when it came to the time when I could have been thinking about embarking on an international career, I suffered an awful lot of injuries. Back then, the KTM factory team selected René, who has since made it into the World Championship. I then had another crack and returned from the European and world championship to the Austrian championship, where I won the title for the last two years, regained a lot of confidence, and also improved mentally. I am now back on the international scene and my next goal, in the long term, is to make it into the World Championship. I know I belong there.”

What are your plans for next year? “The ADAC MX Youngster Cup is a big title in itself, but I want to move forward. I would like to ride in the European Championship next year, and will line up in one or two races in that series this year. A few regular European Championship riders entered the final two races in Fürstlich Drehna and Reutlingen, and I beat them. As such, I am confident that I belong there and that I can continue to develop as a rider and perhaps make it into the World Championship.”