Preparations for the 13th season of the ADAC MX Masters are in full swing, as the deadline for 2017 entry is in just ten days' time. All riders who want a regular place at the starting gate must register online at www.adac.de/mx-masters for the seven ADAC MX Masters race weekends and submit original supporting documents to the ADAC by 10th February. More than 350 entries from around 25 countries have already been received since registration opened on 1st December 2016. The fact that, due to its strong field of riders, the motocross racing series is the best springboard for riders making it their career, enabling them to hold their own internationally in European and world championships, once again augurs well for another promising and exciting season in 2017.

There are special entry rules for guest riders not wishing to contest all the events or who want the chance of a one-off grid slot from the hosting club for the meeting in question. From February 13th onwards, guest entrants will have until two weeks before the race weekend to submit their papers.

Prize money totalling around a quarter of a million euros will be shared out among the best riders in the ADAC MX Masters. In 2016, ADAC MX Masters ace Dennis Ullrich (23, KTM Sarholz Racing Team), ADAC MX Youngster Cup rider Bas Vaessen (18, Team Suzuki World MX2) and ADAC MX Junior Cup competitor Rene Hofer (15, AUT, MSC Imbach/Kini KTM Junior Pro Team by Mefo Sport) had particularly big smiles on their faces at the annual distribution of prize monies after the final round in Holzgerlingen. All three had shone as winners of their respective classes and had finished on the top rung of the podium at the end of the season.

For this 13th season of the ADAC MX Masters, the focus is once again on training youngsters in the international motocross racing series. As of this year, the six best riders in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup will no longer be able to qualify retrospectively for the main races on Sunday via the Last Chance Race. Instead, the five best two-stroke riders and the five best four-stroke competitors will get the chance to prove themselves in the main events. "We've got a lot of riders moving up to the ADAC MX Youngster Cup from the ADAC MX Junior Cup, and we would like to give them a realistic chance of qualifying on their 125cc two-stroke bikes against the much more powerful 250cc bikes. By doing that, we hope to encourage and motivate our young trainees," said Dieter Junge, the ADAC's motorcycle advisor.

Of those moving up from the ADAC MX Junior Cup to the ADAC MX Youngster Cup in 2017, ADAC MX Junior Cup champion Rene Hofer and his two main rivals from last year, the Slovenian Maks Mausser (13, Yamaha) and the Russian Maksim Kraev (14, RUS, Garim MX Team, KTM) are the three whose names stand out the most. From a German perspective, Maximilian Spies (12, Husqvarna) intends to hit the ground running. After taking eighth place in the ADAC MX Junior Cup and then making a name for himself as German champion, he will also be a competitor in this year's ADAC MX Youngster Cup.