This weekend’s second round of the ADAC MX Masters treated large crowds to a thrilling battle between MX2 world champion Simon Längenfelder (D/Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team), championship leader Max Nagl (D/Dörr Motorsport Triumph Racing), and reigning champion Roan van de Moosdijk (NL/KTM Kosak Racing Team). Längenfelder came out on top after three races in challenging conditions at the sandy track, with Nagl and Moosdijk joining him on the podium.
Längenfelder: Successful premiere
Längenfelder lined up on a 450cc KTM for the first time at his guest appearance in the ADAC MX Masters. Throughout the entire of Saturday’s opening race, he was embroiled in a captivating scrap with Nagl, which went right down to the finish line. However, it was Längenfelder who eventually had the upper hand, finishing ahead of Nagl and Maximilian Spies (D/Becker Racing). Having found himself in the pack at the start, Van de Moosdijk managed to work his way back to fourth place, ahead of Jere Haavisto (FIN/Schmicker Silve Racing).
On Sunday, it was Nagl who took the Red Bull Holeshot in race two, and with it the early lead. However, he had been passed by van de Moosdijk by the end of the opening lap, with Längenfelder following the Dutchman through on lap two. Längenfelder then took the lead on lap five, and proceeded to pull away from van de Moosdijk slightly as the race progressed. The defending champion came under a lot of pressure from Nagl towards the end of the race, until the German’s front wheel skidded out from underneath him whilst attempting a pass on the final lap. Nagl hit the deck, but recovered to finish third. Spies and Haavisto completed the top five.
The Red Bull Holeshot in race three went to Noah Ludwig (D/KTM Sarholz Racing Team), but it was Nagl who led the field by the end of the opening lap. One lap later, Ludwig had also been overtaken by Längenfelder and van de Moosdijk. Nagl soon opened a nice lead over his rivals. A third of the way into the race, van de Moosdijk passed Längenfelder to take second place. Shortly after that, Spies leapfrogged ahead of Nico Koch (D/Becker Racing) and into fifth place. From that point on, the positions at the head of the field remained unchanged, with Nagl taking victory ahead of van de Moosdijk, Ludwig and Spies.
Victory in the event classification went to Längenfelder, with Nagl second and van de Moosdijk third. Spies and Koch rounded out the top five. In the championship, Nagl extended his lead over van de Moosdijk by five points. Spies climbed into third place, ahead of Koch, with Ludwig currently fifth.
“Before the weekend, I did not know what to expect on the big bike, and I learned from session to session. I then eased off a little in race three, and let Max and Roan go. On the whole, I am very happy and really enjoyed racing in front of so many great fans,” said a delighted Längenfelder.
“Dreetz is the most demanding track of the year, so the whole weekend was very tiring. I took it a little too easy in the second race, in order to save my strength, and lost touch with Simon and Roan. I then ran out of time at the end. With that in mind, I went for it from the start in race three, and that paid off. The battle with Simon on Saturday was a lot of fun, and the fans made sure there was a stadium atmosphere. It is close between Roan and me in the championship, so I am pleased to have extended by lead by a few points,” said Nagl, happy with his weekend’s work.
“On Saturday, I could not replicate my speed from qualifying in the race. I did a much better job of that on Sunday, particularly in race two, when I felt my usual self. I will take a lot of positives from this weekend,” said van de Moosdijk.
Replays of all the races from both days of the event can be seen free of charge via the ADAC MX Masters playlist on the ADAC Motorsport YouTube channel.
