Maximilian Spies battles his way to overall victory in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup. Ivano Van Erp dominates the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125. Guillem Farres and Ivano Van Erp retain their championship leads.
The ADAC MX Youngster Cup held its fourth round in front of 8,500 delighted fans in Tensfeld at the weekend, while the track in Schleswig-Holstein also hosted round three of this season’s ADAC MX Junior Cup 125. Maximilian Spies (DEU/Schmicker Racing Team) came out on top after three entertaining races in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup. Spies won one race, with the remaining race wins going to Guillem Farres (ESP/Raths Motorsports) and Noah Ludwig (DEU/Becker Racing). In the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125, Ivano Van Erp (NLD/SHR Motorsports) was the LS2 Best Qualifier and went on to brilliantly claim maximum points from the three races. Farres and Van Erp are still top of the table in both championships.
ADAC MX Youngster Cup
In the opening race of the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, Yago Martinez (ESP/KTM SB Racing) took the Red Bull Holeshot, but was unable to prevent championship leader Guillem Farres from taking the lead on lap one. One lap later, a crash allowed the LS2 Best Qualifier, Maximilian Spies, and Rasmus Pedersen (DNK/WZ-Racing) to pass the Spaniard. After three laps, the top three had already pulled well clear of the rest of the field. Leon Rehberg (DEU/Rynopower Germany powered Kaczmarek Motorsport) had an outstanding race, running fourth for large stretches of the race. By the halfway point, the battle for the lead had become a two-horse race between Farres and Spies, while Pedersen rode a lonely race in third place. With five laps remaining, Spies upped the pressure on the Spaniard and took the lead. He soon opened a small lead and went on to convert pole position into his first race win of the season, ahead of Farres and Pedersen. Camden Mc Lellan (ZAF/TBS Conversions KTM Racing Team) had a poor start, but fought back to snatch fifth place from Rehberg with just two laps remaining.
In race two on Sunday morning, Farres took the Red Bull Holeshot, followed by Pedersen, Sem De Lange (NLD/Gasgas Brouwer Jumbo Team), Martinez and Spies. By lap four, Spies had climbed into second place. However, Farres had already opened a big lead by this point. As in the opening race, Mc Lellan and Ludwig found themselves outside the top ten after the start and had to work their way forward. By the halfway point, the South African had already made his way into the top five. In the second half of the race, the leading duo of Farres and Spies pulled clear of their pursuers. At the same time, Ludwig was setting a fast pace and cutting through the field. With three laps remaining, he overtook Mc Lellan and Pedersen on the same lap to take third place. Farres took the victory, ahead of Spies, Ludwig, Mc Lellan and Pedersen.
Race three saw reigning ADAC MX Junior Cup 125 champion Scott Smulders (NLD/Husqvarna SKS-Racing NL Team) narrowly beat Martinez off the line, while Spies hit the deck in turn one. Martinez took the lead approaching turn two, but Pedersen then overtook both the leaders by the end of the opening lap. Farres, starting from the middle of the pack, struggled at the start and then crashed whilst battling for position shortly before the finish. That left the winners of the previous two races both fighting back from the back of the field. Martinez regained the lead on lap three, while Ludwig passed Paul Bloy (DEU/KTM Kosak Racing) to take third. Ludwig then used the following laps to overtake Martinez for the lead, before setting a consistently high pace as he pulled clear of the rest of the field. Mc Lellan had a poor start, but overtook Magnus Smith (DNK/Wozniak Racing/Yamaha Scandinavia) with three laps remaining to take fourth place. Ludwig won the race, ahead of Martinez, Pedersen and Mc Lellan. Spies passed Smith on the final lap to take a remarkable fifth place, while Farres’ fightback ended in 14th place.
In the event standings, Spies was victorious, ahead of Ludwig, Pedersen, Farres and Mc Lellan. Farres extended his lead over Mc Lellan in the championship. Spies lies third, ahead of Ludwig and Martinez.
“My goal was to make up some ground here in Tensfeld, although I did not mean after a crash at the start, as I suffered in race three. I have worked hard on my starts, which has had a positive impact. Farres started playing games, but I think I found the right answers on the track, with the fastest time in practice, a race win and the overall victory,” said a satisfied Spies.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 125
In race three of this year’s ADAC MX Junior Cup 125, Bence Pergel (HUN/HTS Team) took the Red Bull Holeshot on Saturday. However, championship leader and LS2 Best Qualifier, Ivano Van Erp, soon attached himself to the rear wheel of the Hungarian. After just two laps, this duo started to pull clear from the rest of the field. On lap four, Van Erp took the lead. He went on to take victory with a lead of almost 30 seconds over Pergel. Behind the leading duo, Janis Martins Reisulis (EST/Hamstra MX Team) recovered from a disappointing start. Maximilian Werner (DEU/DIGA Procross KTM Racing) and Roberts Lusis (LVA/Sturm STC Racing) also had their sights set on top finishes. Once Reisulis had made his way into third place and had a free track ahead of him, he was setting similar lap times to Van Erp, but was unable to threaten Pergel. With two laps of the race remaining, Werner retired from behind Maximilian Ernecker (AUT/HSV Ried) with a technical issue. Van Erp won, ahead of Pergel, Reisulis, Ernecker and Lusis.
The Red Bull Holeshot in race two went to reigning ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 champion Vitaszlav Marek (CZE), but he then lost the lead to Eric Rakow (DEU/Schmicker Racing) on the opening lap. After a crash on lap two, Van Erp dropped back to tenth place. That allowed Pergel, Karlis Alberts Reisulis (EST/Yamaha MJC) and Ernecker to climb into third, fourth and fifth place. Marek profited from a mistake by Rakow on lap three to take the lead ahead of Karlis Alberts Reisulis. With lap times that were two to four seconds faster than the leaders, it only took until lap six for Van Erp to move ahead of Marek and Reisulis and into the lead. Pergel crashed with three laps remaining, allowing Janis Martins Reisulis to take fourth place. Victory went to Van Erp with a 16-second lead over Marek, the two Reisulis brothers and Rakow.
Marek again took the Red Bull Holeshot in race three, but Van Erp was soon back at the front of the field. Janis Martins Reisulis overtook Marek on lap two, before his older brother climbed into third place one lap later. The two brothers produced an entertaining battle in the middle of the race, from which Janis Martins came out on top before managing to open a bit of a gap. Van Erp took the race win to score maximum points in Tensfeld, ahead of Janis Martins Reisulis, Karlis Alberts Reisulis, Marek and Ernecker – the same top five as in the event standings. Van Erp’s successful weekend sees him extend his lead in the championship, ahead of Janis Martins Reisulis, Marek, Julius Mikula (CZE) and Karlis Alberts Reisulis.
“I have worked hard on my starts in recent weeks, as a good start makes the race 50 percent easier. The effort paid dividends and I had a perfect weekend, apart from the crash in race two. It feels great to win all three races,” said a beaming Van Erp at the presentation ceremony.
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 Tensfeld.
