Nagl makes motocross history with title hat-trick. No change of team for 2025. Decision on future career path to be made shortly.

At the age of 37, Max Nagl (D/KMP Honda Racing powered by Krettek) is the first person ever to win the ADAC MX Masters class title for the third time in a row. This is his fifth championship in the series, and he is now level with the current record holder, Dennis Ullrich (D/KTM Sarholz Racing Team), in terms of the number of times he has won the title of International German Motocross Champion. But title records are not what motivate him, as Nagl revealed in the champions' interview.

Congratulations on your fifth ADAC MX Masters title, which you secured early on at Jauer. How do you feel, or is it just routine? ‘No, it never gets routine. It all starts in the winter, the preparation has to go well, and it was really good this time. My goal was to win as many races as possible at the start of the season to build up a points lead. The plan worked perfectly, and that allowed me to minimise the risk a bit in the end. And that worked great. Of course, I would have liked to have clinched more overall victories, having won all four in the first half of the season and only failing to emerge as the winner in a single race. There is never a straight line of improvement throughout a season; there is always a dip at some point, and I was no exception. Fortunately, it came relatively late, so that I was so far ahead in the championship that I was able to manage my lead.’

You have drawn level with the previous record holder, Dennis Ullrich, with your fifth ADAC MX Masters title, and you even have one more International German Motocross Championship title and are the first person to win the ADAC MX Masters three times in succession. How important are records like these to you? ‘As a racing driver, you live in the moment, and at the moment it's not important to me. But later, in ten years or so, you will of course look back on something like that and see your successes in the numbers. And then, I think, it's something special and you realise what you've achieved. Right now, I'm just doing my job as well as I can, and the numbers don't matter to me.’

You are now 37 years old, but you have had perhaps the strongest season in recent years. What has made you so strong this year? ‘Besides the good preparation in the winter, it was an advantage that we were able to get to grips with the technical problems that normally arise after a brand change and for which there was no culprit in 2023. This year, we didn't have a single technical defect in any race. That's a huge plus, of course. The team tries to improve the bike a little bit every year. I give the team boss Alex Karg feedback after each weekend. This way, he was able to fulfil my wish for a little more power without technically going over the limit and risking a crash. The team did an absolutely mega job and the combination with my experience gave us the advantage that made this year so good. And I took more risks at the beginning of the season than last year because I really wanted to win the overall.

What was your personal highlight race of the season? ‘My personal highlight was Vellahn. It was a new track for everyone and so the conditions were the same for everyone, so nobody had any advantages or disadvantages. I was able to win all three races there relatively ‘easily’. I just got on very well with the track and had a lot of fun driving because it was very technical and the ground conditions were also difficult. And winning all three races at the weekend is always extremely difficult.’

And which race would you rather forget? ‘Unfortunately, I have to say Gaildorf. But it's been like that for the last three years, I can't get anything together there. But that's not because of Gaildorf itself, but because I just can't get along with the track at all. The way it is and the ground conditions or how it is prepared, it just doesn't suit me, for whatever reason. No matter how hard I try to prepare for it, somehow it doesn't really work out. But I try to do a good job of damage control there and lose as few points as possible.’

Which event did you like best overall this season? ‘Regardless of my result, I liked Holzgerlingen best. I think it has the best atmosphere because the people can stand closest to the track there. Especially on the meadow slope, you pass the spectators just a few metres away. Maybe it's also because it was the final.’

With Vellahn, there was a new track on the calendar. Would you welcome more new events being added? ‘Yes, definitely, I would very much welcome that. New tracks always give you a new incentive as a rider and the teams are also happy when they come to a new location. Having something new motivates you even more. As far as I know, there are also many interested clubs that know how good the series is in Europe.’

Which rider surprised you the most in the 2024 season? ‘Cornelius Töndel was new. He is a very nice guy, a fair rider and really fast. He drives hard when he has to, but as I said, he is fair. He surprised me with how good he was, so he's really a great guy.’

If you could wish for one thing for the 2025 ADAC MX Masters season, what would it be? ‘Everything is great as it is at the moment. On Saturday, as a Masters rider who qualifies directly, you have a very long break between qualifying and the first race. But I realise that it's difficult to juggle four classes. Since I'm getting so old now, we could shorten the distances for the three heats by five minutes... no, I'm only joking, of course!’

For some time now, you have been deciding from year to year whether to continue as a professional. Can you already reveal something or do we have to expect another team change for motivation? ‘You always need new motivation when you get older. I will decide relatively soon whether to hang up my helmet or continue racing. But if I do continue, a team change is definitely not an option for me. The current constellation, including Honda Germany, is so good that I definitely don't want to leave. I'm currently in negotiations with KMP and Honda, and we're trying to put together a package that works for everyone. If we succeed, I can imagine doing another season. We'll see in the next few weeks. I'm still motivated and still feel young enough. It may help that I've always felt three years younger than my biological age, haha.’

Would it motivate you to become the sole record holder with six titles in the ADAC MX Masters to continue for another year? ‘No, that's not really important, but I do need to find something to motivate me if I add another year. I'm not sure yet what that might be, but I need something to motivate me over the long winter and to keep my training as intense as it was last winter so that I can start the season as strongly as possible. But I'm sure I'll think of something when the time comes. It's quite possible that I'll be rolling up to the starting gate again in 2025.’