Max Nagl was unbeatable at the ADAC MX Masters on Saturday. Liam Owens celebrated his first race win in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup. Lucas Leok is on the verge of winning the title in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85.
The ADAC MX Masters celebrated a successful premiere in Bitche on Saturday. This was the first time that an event in the series had been held in France. Max Nagl (Germany/Dörr Motorsport Triumph Racing powered by Krettek) won Saturday's race in the ADAC MX Masters class. Liam Owens (Australia/Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna) took victory in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup with a start-to-finish win. Lucas Leok (Estonia/KTM MX Futures) won the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85.
ADAC MX Masters: Start-to-finish victory for Max Nagl
As Acerbis Best Qualifier, Nagl laid the foundation for a successful Saturday in qualifying. In the first race, he prevailed in the starting corner and won the Red Bull Holeshot. While the riders behind him settled into their positions in the early laps, Nagl pulled out a lead that he controlled from then on. Noah Ludwig (Germany/KTM Sarholz Racing Team) was initially ahead of Maximilian Spies (Germany/Becker Racing), but crashed midway through the race and was forced to retire. Spies inherited second place and Marcel Stauffer (Austria/Osicka MX Team) moved up to third. In the final third of the race, Jordi Tixier (F/KMP-Honda-Racing powered by DVAG) pushed championship leader Roan Van de Moosdijk (NL/Kosak Racing Team) out of fourth place. Max Nagl won with a start-to-finish victory ahead of Spies and Stauffer, putting him back at the top of the standings ahead of Sunday's races.
‘The victory feels very good and was also necessary after the last two events. Finally, I was able to achieve something positive again. Already in qualifying, things went better than expected and pole position was very positive. I was then able to carry that momentum into the race. After the Red Bull Holeshot, I quickly found a good rhythm and managed my lead,’ said Nagl.
ADAC MX Youngster Cup: Liam Owens surprises with Red Bull Holeshot
In the first race, Liam Owens was the fastest out of the starting gate, but was pushed out of the lead by Maximilian Ernecker (A/SixtySeven Racing Husqvarna) on the first lap. Championship leaders Mads Fredsoe (DK/Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna) and Bradley Mesters (NL/Kosak Racing Team), on the other hand, were far behind in the field. Ernecker fell back to fifth place on the second lap, allowing Owens to take the lead ahead of Maxime Grau (F/WZ-Racing KTM) and Nico Greutmann (CH/Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna). After a mistake by Grau on the fourth lap, he swapped places with Greutmann. Meanwhile, Fredsoe fought his way up to fourth place, while Mesters struggled to get into the points throughout the race. In the final third of the race, Nicolai Skovbjerg (DK/Wozniak MX Racing Team) moved up into the top five. Owens won his first race of the season ahead of Greutmann and Grau.
‘I was so startled by the Red Bull Holeshot that I immediately let myself be overtaken. That was my first start victory in two years. But after that, things went well and I found a good rhythm in the difficult conditions. I'm very happy about my first race win of the season,’ said Owens.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 85: Lucas Leok with a clean slate
In the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85, Lucas Leok started from pole position but had to concede the Red Bull Holeshot to Gregor Lootus (EST/KTM). After two laps, Leok was in the lead. His closest rival in the championship, Jarno Jansen (CH/SixtySeven Racing Husqvarna), fell from fifth to ninth place after a crash halfway through the race. Luca Frank (D/Becker Racing) pushed Marten Raud (EST/MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing) out of third place on the sixth lap. Leok won ahead of Lootus and Frank, while Jansen only managed eighth place. This gives Leok such a big lead in the standings that he could become the new ADAC MX Junior Cup 85 champion ahead of schedule on Sunday.
‘I'm delighted with the victory and that things are going so well. I'm not thinking about the championship yet, I'm just concentrating on each race as it comes,’ said Leok.
A replay of the first day of racing is available on the ADAC Motorsport YouTube channel. The live stream of all races on Sunday starts at 10:20 a.m. and can be viewed at adac.de/mx-masters.
