It is hard not to compare Max Nagl to a good wine, which only gets better the more it matures. Last season, on a new bike and with a new team, the 38-year-old narrowly missed out on his sixth title. Nagl remains as hungry as ever. He has his sights set on the first title for Triumph in the ADAC MX Masters and, on the back of fine pre-season preparations, is confident ahead of the coming season. Speaking in an interview, he reveals whether or not this will be his final season as a professional rider.

How are preparations going for the 2026 season in the ADAC MX Masters? Max Nagl: “Pre-season preparations are going really well and I am happy. I have been healthy all winter, which is always the most important thing, and I was able to start some warm-up races a little earlier this year. Everything is looking good with the bike, and we are making progress all the time with its development. There will be a few more updates to the bike, which I will test during the next warm-up race in Oss.”

Did the two-year contract with Dörr Motorsport make the preparations less stressful? “It was definitely easier than last year, as this was a completely new project last year, and the bikes and special parts only arrived very late in the process. When I was in Spain last winter, I still had to train with a totally standard bike, because there was simply no material available yet. Everything was already in place for this winter, and, to a certain degree, I was able to use the bikes from last year. That did make everything a little more relaxed.”

Let’s take a quick look back at the 2025 season: Did you lose the title, or win second place? “Looking back at 2025, everything is okay. Sure, I would have preferred to have won the title, but I am also happy with second place, given the circumstances: we had a new team, a new project, a new motorcycle, it was not always so easy. There were also a lot of things going on behind the scenes, which the general public did not know about, and which involved a lot of hard work and cost us a few points at times. However, that is motorsport and we had taken it into account, which is why I was not so sad about second place. We are better prepared for the 2026 season, and I definitely want to challenge for the title again.”

20 years after your first ADAC MX Masters title, you are still battling for the championship. What is the secret to such a long career, and will this be your last season? “My career actually goes back much further. (laughs) However, when you bear in mind that 2006 was my first ADAC MX Masters title and I will be going for the title again in 2026, that is certainly a long time. It is not always easy, and it gets tougher every year. I lead a very healthy and disciplined life, from nutrition and training to recuperation. They are all things that help me to continue to compete at such a high level, even at my age. I will be 39 this year. Many people are saying that I should continue until I am 40. But whether I will do that, I don’t know. At the moment, I am making that decision one year at a time. My two-year contract with Triumph expires this year. I feel good at the moment, am motivated, and am enjoying myself. As long as that remains the case, I can continue racing. However, there will come a point when it is perhaps no longer possible physically, or it stops being enjoyable. In that case, it is time to stop. However, I have not yet reached that point. I want to ride as well as possible this season and only need to worry about the future later in the summer, when negotiations will begin.”

What advantages and disadvantages do you have, compared to the younger opposition? “One advantage is obviously my experience. I know exactly how to prepare for the races, what I need to do in training, and how everything runs. You are also a little more relaxed in the races, and no longer quite so nervous. However, what you do miss is the agility: the start and the opening laps – and particularly qualifying – have definitely not got any easier for me. They never were my strong point, and have only become more difficult over the years. I have spoken to my former trainer a lot about that. He gave me some tips about how I can adapt training to suit my age, in order to counter some of those effects. In the end, however, it is biology and you simply become more and more like a diesel: the longer the race distance, the better I am, but the sprint qualities simply decline, and I have to make up for that in other areas. That is the toughest job for me.”

Who will be your fiercest rivals in the new season? “It will be similar to last year. Roan van de Moosdijk and the usual suspects from the past two years are all back for more. Perhaps people like Talviku or new riders from Sweden and Norway might come into the equation, because we predominantly have sand races and they are obviously really strong there. We will just have to wait and see. You can only really say after the first race.”

To which event are you particularly looking forward? “I am most looking forward to Bitche in France. A really new track on the calendar is always great, because it is simply something different. And I like the layout, as it is more like that of a hard track, but on sand. That makes it very demanding to ride on, because it forms extremely large and deep ruts, but I like that. I actually enjoy racing at all the tracks, with the exception of Gaildorf, which has always been an issue for me in recent years. However, I have given that some thought and will try something new this year. Only the race will tell whether or not it works.”

Has the programme changed at all? Technical preparations have changed compared to last year: this time, we were able to focus more on performance than durability, in order to tailor the bike to my needs more. My bike will have a bit more power this year, and, when it comes to the chassis, we have made a few changes to the swing arms. Furthermore, I am now working with ORS Suspension, with whom we have already made big progress on the chassis. They are little details, which really help me as a rider. I also have a different race mechanic for this year. However, everything is the same at home – I have the same training mechanic, physical preparation, everything is the same as always.”