Scott Smulders claims his first event victory in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup. Emil Ziemer wins the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125. Kenzo Jaspers dominates the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85.
The junior classes also provided plenty of excitement at the weekend during the season opener of the ADAC MX Masters in Grevenbroich. Scott Smulders (NL/SixtySeven Racin-Team) secured not only his first podium but also his first event victory in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup with his race win in the third race. In the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125, Emil Ziemer (CH/Motobike Racing Team) and Lucas Leok (EST/KTM MX Futures) shared the two race wins. In the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85, Kenzo Jaspers (NL/AK Bouw-Hutten Metaal Junior MX Team) won with maximum points. In the ADAC MX Masters team standings, Team Dörr Motorsport Triumph Racing came out on top. The Young Talents team standings went to Team MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing.
ADAC MX Youngster Cup: Smulders wins, Krug shines with podium finish
In the fiercely contested ADAC MX Youngster Cup, the tight field makes it difficult to secure consistent top finishes across the three races. Smulders managed this best of all in Grevenbroich. In the first race, he finished second after Nicolai Skovbjerg (DK/MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing) snatched the lead from him with three laps to go. Following a race stoppage in the second race, Liam Owens (AU/Cat Moto Bauerschmidt KTM) won ahead of Jan Krug (D/Dörr Motorsport Triumph Racing) and Mads Fredsoe (DK/Cat Moto Bauerschmidt KTM), with Smulders finishing sixth. In the third race, Smulders won ahead of Owens and Skovbjerg, securing him the event victory and the lead in the standings. Skovbjerg got off to a strong start on Saturday as the Acerbis Best Qualifier and winner of the first race. After a poor start in the second race, his comeback was cut short in eighth place before the race was abandoned. Third place in the final race was enough for second place overall in Grevenbroich.
Local hero Krug thrilled the fans with some strong races. In the first race, he finished sixth after a poor start and a crash, but already showed glimpses of his pace. With a second-place finish in the second race, Krug secured his best result of the weekend. In the third race, he crossed the finish line in fourth place, which was enough for third place overall in Grevenbroich. A crash at the start of the first race cost Owens a better overall finish than fourth place. Lyonel Reichl (LIE/KTM Sarholz Racing Team) and Fredsoe each put in three consistent races and are tied on points in fifth and sixth place in the standings. Saku Mansikkamäki (FIN/Schmicker Silve Racing) also impressed with a third and fourth place in the first two races, but finished only seventh overall after retiring in the third race. “I feel very comfortable in my new team and on the Husqvarna, and I’ve worked very hard on myself over the winter. That paid off today,” said a delighted Smulders.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 125: Head-to-head battle between Ziemer and Leok
Ziemer and Lucas Leok made their mark on the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125. Leok shone in the first race with a start-to-finish victory, leaving the rest of the field well behind. Aston Allas (EST/Redmoto Racing) held second place for a long time until he dropped back following a crash with four laps to go. Acerbis Best Qualifier Ziemer and Timo Heuver (NL/JP Xtreme Xperience) were the beneficiaries and moved up to second and third places. Leok also took the Red Bull Holeshot in the second race. However, Ziemer attacked quickly, took the lead on the first lap and then built up a lead of several seconds, which he controlled all the way to the finish. The leading duo pulled away from the rest of the field significantly as the race progressed. Travis Leok (EST/MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing) finished in third place. In the day’s standings, the victory and the leader’s Red Plate went to Ziemer due to his better result in the second race, even though Lucas Leok scored the same number of points. Kay Zijlstra (NL/Gebben Motoren) secured third place in Grevenbroich with fourth and seventh-place finishes. Finn Lange (D/KTM GST Berlin Racing) and Travis Leok rounded off the top five of the day. “The track was already quite worn out by the second race, which I really enjoyed. In the rain, I quickly went on the attack against Lucas and then tried to build up a lead, which worked out well. A podium finish was my goal for the season opener and I’m delighted to have achieved that with a win,” beamed Ziemer.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 85: Jaspers delivers two commanding performances
In the youngest race class, both race wins went to Jaspers. His winning formula was the same in both races: after good starts, he steadily and calmly worked his way up the field, took the lead in the final third of the race and then built up a lead. In the first race, he overtook Red Bull Holeshot winner Patriks Cirulis (LAT/Schmicker Silve Racing). Luca Nierychlo (D/KTM MX Futures) finished third. In the second race, Martins Cirulis (LAT/Schmicker Silve Racing) got off to the best start and held the lead until he was overtaken by Jaspers. Kash van Hamond (NL/Kosak Racing Team) finished third. In the event standings, Jaspers won with the maximum points ahead of the Cirulis twins, Patriks and Martins. Nierychlo and Harry Dale (GB/KTM MX Futures) rounded off the top five for the weekend. “That was a good start to the season and I hope I can repeat it a few more times this year. My starts were good, but could have been even better. However, I was able to work my way up the field each time and take the lead. My goal is to become champion this year,” said Jaspers confidently.
Team standings: Dörr Motorsport Triumph Racing and MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing come out on top
In the ADAC MX Masters team standings, the best result achieved by a team in each class is taken into account, with results from the ADAC MX Masters class counting double. In Grevenbroich, the Dörr Motorsport Triumph Racing team won for the first time thanks to the best individual result, even though the Kosak Racing Team scored the same number of points overall. The KTM Sarholz Racing Team finished third ahead of Schmicker Silve Racing and Becker Racing. In the Young Talents team standings, results from the ADAC MX Masters class do not count. Here, victory went to Team MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing, ahead of Schmicker Silve Racing and KTM MX Futures.
All races from both days of the event can be watched as re-livestreams or as individual races free of charge via the ADAC MX Masters playlist on the ADAC Motorsport YouTube channel.
