First race win and overall victory of the season for Tom Koch. Jordi Tixier and Marcel Stauffer round off the podium. Max Nagl extends his championship lead with fourth place in Gaildorf.
Round six of the ADAC MX Masters at the “Auf der Wacht” track in Gaildorf took place in very good conditions and in front of large crowds. The event was won by Tom Koch (D/Kosak Racing Team), ahead of Jordi Tixier (F/KMP-Honda-Racing powered by Krettek) and Marcel Stauffer (A/Osicka MX Team), who each picked up one race win. Max Nagl (D/KMP-Honda-Racing powered by Krettek) failed to finish on the podium for the first time this season, but was still able to extend his lead at the top of the championship.
Consistency the key to victory for Tom Koch
Tom Koch was the only rider to finish on the podium in each of the weekend’s three races. He started with second place on Saturday, ahead of Red Bull Holeshot winner Noah Ludwig (D/KTM Sarholz Racing Team), and was able to match the pace of the race winner right through to the finish. He was again in touch with the leaders at the end of race two on Sunday, which he ended in third place. Victory in race three earned Koch his first overall victory of the current season and saw him climb to second place in the championship.
“It is great to finally be back on the top step of the podium after the barren spell and back injury at the start of the season. The field is very evenly matched this year and putting together three good races on one weekend is not easy. However, I have always liked Gaildorf and it would appear the good results come when you are enjoying your riding,” said a delighted Koch at the presentation ceremony.
Jordi Tixier claims his first race win of the season
On Saturday, Jordi Tixier gave a first indication of his strength on the hard track at Gaildorf as the LS2 Best Qualifier. He then underlined his qualifying performance with victory in the opening race – his first win of the season. In race two, Tixier found himself fifth after the start. He did manage to fight his way back onto the rear wheel of the race winner, but could find no way past him. He was then squeezed out at the start of race three, and ended the opening lap in the pack. His fightback earned him fourth place behind Jakub Teresak (CZ/Enduro Koch Racing), who claimed his second race odium of the year. Second place in Gaildorf saw Tixier close the gap to Max Nagl’s closest rivals at the top of the overall table.
“On the whole, I am happy with the result and my performance, because we were all very close together. The race win showed that I have the pace required to win. To still be challenging among the leading group in the championship, despite three DNFs already this year, shows my strength. I want to use the remaining races to climb as high up the table as possible,” said a happy Tixier.
Marcel Stauffer on the podium on his ADAC MX Masters debut
The 2021 ADAC MX Youngster Cup champion, Marcel Stauffer, was making his debut in the ADAC MX Masters class in Gaildorf, and here too he showed he is one of the best around. The Austrian, who suffered a serious neck injury last year, impressed with a high pace and good level of fitness. He led in the early stages of Saturday’s opening race, before dropping back to seventh place with stiff forearms. In race two, he took the lead around the halfway point when Nagl had an issue with his bike. Stauffer held his nerve to take victory, despite coming under some serious pressure from Tixier. Stauffer then refused to allow leader Koch to shake him off for long stretches of race three. Only in the final few laps did Koch manage to pull a few seconds clear. Second place in this race put Stauffer on the third step of the event podium in Gaildorf.
“It is impossible to describe how I feel to be on the podium at my first ADAC MX Masters event. It is just cool to see that all the hard work I have put in over the past few months has paid dividends. I prepare my bike all on my own during the week, but am still able to perform on a par with the established top riders in the series. Thank you to everyone who supports me,” said Stauffer, celebrating his success.
Max Nagl extends his lead at the top of the table
Although Gaildorf was the first event of the season, at which Max Nagl did not feature on either the race or the overall podium, he still managed to extend his championship lead. He now holds a 112-point lead over Koch, Maximilian Spies (D/Kosak Racing Team), Tixier and Adam Sterry (GB/Schmicker Racing). As such, Nagl could wrap up the title with races still to come at the next event in Jauer.
“Even without a podium, it was still a positive weekend for me. I struggled with poor starts and a crash on Saturday, which was not my fault. In race two, I had an issue with the bike whilst leading and had to slow down. However, as we all know, you win championships on your bad days. I extended my lead in Gaildorf, so am happy with the weekend,” said Nagl.
All the races from both days of the event can be seen as full replays of Saturday and Sunday or as individual races via the ADAC MX Masters Playlist on the ADAC Motorsport YouTube channel.
