The season opener of the ADAC MX Masters was held at an incredible venue that I have never been to before. Fürstlich Drehna is a sandy track that went from well-manicured and developed into an extremely challenging track with massive rutted jumps.
Saturday started with free practice allowing me to get to know the track and lay down a few fast laps. Timed practice I went out mid pack, made a silly mistake and crashed in the first lap putting me right at the back of the field where I now needed to try put in a fast lap to get that all important gate pick. At the end I managed a 5th fastest giving me a decent gate pick. My lap times were good considering I was always moving through traffic, this gave me confidence I could match the leaders in the race.
Moto 1 started with an average start coming out in about 10th place but avoiding a first corner crash held me up a bit putting me outside of the top 15. A few mistakes in the opening laps hindered my progress but I did find good rhythm and could charge through the field finishing the moto in a comfortable 2nd place.
Moto 2 was a better start and rounded the first turn in about 10th place. I was able to steadily make my way through the field to 2nd place and set my sights on the leader. I consistently put in fast laps and could see the gap closing between us. I put pressure on the leader and was able to capitalise on a small mistake and lead the last lap and a half for the win. I am happy to have the red plate going into round 2 of the ADAC MX Master series held in Mölln, 26th & 27th May. Next stop is the first round of the EMX Championship in Denmark.
Extract from race organiser report: ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 (link)
In the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85, the first race was already held on Saturday. Liam Everts (KTM), the son of ten-time world champion Stefan Everts, dominated the prelude and was able to win safely. On Sunday, however, the 13-year-old was harassed by Camden McLellan (Kosak Racing Team / KTM) midway through and had to give in to pressure from the South African in the closing stages of the race. "I had a few lapses and Camden was just a bit faster in the end," admitted Everts. "But it was still a good showing with the victory on Saturday, so in the next race I'll try to do better and win the overall title." McLellan had already announced after the first race that he can fight with a good start to the victory and the 13-year-old kept his word. " I caught up with Liam at the end of the race and put pressure on him, "said Mc Lellan happily," and when he made a small mistake, I was there to grab the win. I am very satisfied with my performance here and think that I can show even more on tracks with hard ground.
Huge thanks to my sponsors in Germany and back home:
KOSAK, KTM, Motorex, SN Hydraulik, Troy Lee Designs, Bridgestone, Mefo Mousse, Xtrig, ORS Suspension, Matura, Goldfren, Twinair, Pepp Underwear, Herschel Supply Co, KTM South Africa, Red Bull South Africa, Esjots Sprockets, Werthaus Wohnbau
