Max Nagl extends championship lead with overall victory. Valentin Guillod finishes second, with one race win. Jordi Tixier on the podium again.
When the ADAC MX Masters returned to Holzgerlingen, 10,000 passionate fans experienced three exciting races in challenging, but good conditions for racing. Max Nagl (D/Krettek-Haas-Racing-Team) won two races on his way to overall victory at the Schützenbühlring, extending his championship lead in the process. Valentin Guillod (CH/SHR Motorsports) ended the event in second place, thanks largely to victory in race three. Jordi Tixier (F/KTM Sarholz Racing Team) completed the event podium in third place.
The opening race of the ADAC MX Masters on Saturday saw Max Nagl take the Red Bull Holeshot and lay the foundation for a lights-to-flag victory. Valentin Guillod was immediately hot on the heels of the championship leader, and put him under a lot of pressure. That pair soon pulled clear of third-placed Jordi Tixier, who was the LS2 Best Qualifier, at the start of the race. Behind the leading trio, Tim Koch (D/Team AB-Racing by Zweiradsport Schmitz) initially slotted into fourth place. However, he was overtaken on lap three by his brother Tom Koch (D/Kosak Racing Team), and one lap later by Kevin Brumann (CH/iXS hostettler Yamaha MXGP Team). Around the midway point of the race, the Swiss passed the younger of the Koch brothers and proceeded to pull away. Shortly after, Stefan Ekerold (D/Team Bauerschmidt MB33) overtook Tim Koch to climb into sixth place. As the race drew to a close, Nagl pulled clear of Guillod and went on to take the chequered flag with a 22-second lead over the Swiss rider. Tixier was third, ahead of Brumann and Tom Koch.
On Sunday, it was once again Nagl who took the Red Bull Holeshot in race two. As in the opening race, he was immediately followed and put under pressure by Guillod. Tixier, Brumann and Tom Koch found themselves third, fourth and fifth at the start. Guillod overtook Nagl to take the lead on lap five. Shortly after, Brumann crashed and Koch inherited fourth place. Guillod’s lead lasted just two laps, before he came under attack from Nagl and was powerless to prevent the championship leader regaining the lead. Nagl pulled clear of Guillod at first, but the Swiss closed in again towards the end of the race. Nagl called on all his experience, held his nerve, and went on to take victory ahead of Guillod, Tixier, who had a lonely race in third place, Koch and Brumann.
In race three, the Red Bull Holeshot went to Tixier, ahead of Guillod and Nagl. Guillod immediately attacked the Frenchman, but briefly came off the track on the opening lap. For multiple laps, the fans were treated to a captivating battle between Tixier and Guillod, with Nagl watching on from a respectful distance, waiting for an opportunity. On the sixth lap, Adam Sterry (GB/KTM Sarholz Racing Team) hit the deck whilst running fourth, and nearly took Tom Koch out behind him in the process. Sterry was unable to continue, while Koch climbed into fourth place. Guillod launched a successful attack on Tixier on lap eight, and proceeded to pull clear at the front as the race progressed. Up to this point, Nagl had observed the battle ahead of him without getting involved. The German was then able to up his pace in the final third of the race and overtook Tixier, his closest rival in the table, with three laps remaining. Guillod won the race, ahead of Nagl, Tixier, Koch and Brumann.
Nagl ended the weekend at the top of the event standings, ahead of Guillod and Tixier, with Koch and Brumann completing the top five. Nagl extends his lead over Tixier in the table to 59 points. Tom Koch follows in third place, ahead of Sterry, Ekerold and Tim Koch.
“It was a successful but tiring weekend. The track conditions were challenging and, particularly in race two, Valentin put me under a huge amount of pressure, which meant we both had to push as hard as in qualifying. In race three, the situation in the championship made it very important for me to catch Jordi. I am already looking forward to the season finale in the sand of Fürstlich Drehna,” said a beaming Max Nagl at the presentation ceremony.
“I had very good starts but, to be honest, Max was very fast. I could not trouble him enough this weekend to take the overall victory. However, I am happy to have won race three after the battle with Jordi,” said Valentin Guillod, summing up his weekend.
“My hands were still bashed up from the final race in Jauer last week. I would have liked to have won, but I will take away the positive that I had three good starts, including one holeshot. I have worked hard on that for this season, and it has already paid dividends,” said Jordi Tixier.
Replays of all the races from both days of the event can be watched as a complete livestream or as individual races, free of charge, via the playlist ADAC MX Masters Holzgerlingen.
