Sebastian Leok celebrates his first victory in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup. Ryan Oppliger dominates in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125. Harry Dale triumphs in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85.
The junior classes in the ADAC MX Masters produced some new winners in Gaildorf last weekend. Sebastian Leok (EST/MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing) took advantage of a slip-up from championship leader Nicolai Skovbjerg (DK/SixtySeven Racing-Team) to claim both a race win and the event victory. Ryan Oppliger (CH/Oppliger Racing) went unbeaten all weekend in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 125. Harry Dale (GB/KTM MX Futures) benefitted from a mistake by the Cirulis twins to clinch his first event victory of the season in the ADAC MX Junior Cup 85. Meanwhile, the MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing team won both the Team and Young Talents Team competitions in the ADAC MX Masters.
ADAC MX Youngster Cup: Leok takes advantage of Skovbjerg's mistake
In the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, everything pointed to a dominant display from Nicolai Skovbjerg after the opening two races. The Dane took an early lead in both races, and then controlled the field at will. On Saturday, he took victory ahead of Sebastian Leok, Saku Mansikkamäki (FIN/Schmicker Silve Racing), Valentin Kees (D/Kosak Racing Team) and Byron Dennis (AU/Cat Moto Bauerschmidt KTM). Skovbjerg then led home Mansikkamäki and Leok to win race two on Sunday. Dennis and Leon Rudolph (D/KTM Sarholz Racing Team) completed the top five. Race three also saw Skovbjerg pass Red Bull Holeshot winner Rudolph on the opening lap. However, he then crashed shortly before the end of lap one. Leok inherited the lead, while Skovbjerg dropped to the back of the field. By the end of the first third of the race, the positions at the front had all but been decided already: Dennis slotted into second place, ahead of Mansikkamäki, who was followed by Vaclav Janout (CZ/Osicka MX Team) and the Acerbis Best Qualifier David Widerwill (CZ/Werthmann Racing Team by Mefo Sport). That order remained the same through to the finish, while Skovbjerg managed to battle back to eighth place. That result meant overall victory in Gaildorf went to Leok, followed by Skovbjerg and Mansikkamäki. Mads Fredsoe (DK/Cat Moto Bauerschmidt KTM), who had up to that point been Skovbjerg's closest rival in the championship, failed to score any points in Gaildorf, allowing Skovbjerg to extend his lead to more than 100 points over Leok, who now sits second in the table. Scott Smulders (NL/SixtySeven Racing-Team) came back from injury, and climbed into third place in the championship.
"I just focussed on myself, and had no idea that I was in with a chance of winning the overall classification. It is great to claim my first race win in the ADAC MX Youngster Cup, and with it my maiden event victory. I now know that I can win, and hope I can put myself in a similar position at the remaining two events," said a delighted Leok.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 125: Commanding performance from Oppliger
The 2024 ADAC MX Junior Cup champion, Ryan Oppliger (CH/Oppliger Racing), made a guest appearance in Gaildorf and showed just how strong he is on the 125cc bike. The Acerbis Best Qualifier was the fastest man in qualifying on Saturday. He then also came out on top in Sunday's two races. In the opening race, he led after three laps, having overtaken Red Bull Holeshot winner Luis Santeusiano (CH/Yamaha). Neither championship leader Lucas Leok (EST/KTM MX Futures) nor his rival Emil Ziemer (CH/Motobike Racing Team) got away well at the start, and both found themselves in the middle of the field. Santeusiano surrendered second place to Bertram Thorius (DK/Fantic Factory Racing) after the first third of the race. The order out in front remained the same through to the finish, with Oppliger taking victory ahead of Thorius and Santeusiano. Ziemer managed to overtake Leok to take fourth place on the penultimate lap. Leok then crashed in turn one in race two, and rejoined the race at the back of the field. Meanwhile, Ziemer won the Red Bull Holeshot. Oppliger made gradual progress from third place, until he found himself on the rear wheel of Ziemers. He then took the lead around the midway point of the race. By the time he took the chequered flag, he had opened a big lead. Ziemer was a comfortable runner-up, ahead of Thorius, Timo Heuver (NL/JP Extreme Xperience) and Max Meyer (D/Meyer Racing). Leok crashed again later in the race, and eventually had to settle for eleventh place. In the event classification, victory with maximum points went to Oppliger, ahead of Thorius and Ziemer. Leok defended his position at the top of the table and now leads Ziemer by 23 points. Finn Lange (D/KTM GST Berlin Racing) lies third in the championship.
"The track was not easy to ride on, plus it was very hot. However, I am very happy with my weekend," said a beaming Oppliger.
ADAC MX Junior Cup 85: Dale has the last laugh
The Cirulis twins, Patriks and Martins, had been virtually inseparable out on the track - until they arrived in Gaildorf, where things did not run as smoothly as we the two flying brothers have become accustomed to. Martins Cirulis (EST/Schmicker Silve Racing) won the opening race on Saturday, followed by Jaggar Townley (NZ/Yamaha NZ), Harry Dale, Gergö Horvath (HU/HTS Racing Team) and Elliot Lord (S/Werthmann Racing Team by Mefo Sport), while championship leader Patriks Cirulis (EST/Schmicker Silve Racing) left empty-handed after a crash at the start of the race. Patriks hit back with the Red Bull Holeshot in race two. However, he was replaced at the front of the field by his brother on lap five. Dale and Robin Robert Mooses (EST/MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing) also passed Patriks Cirulis in the next two laps. Dale then upped the pressure on Martins Cirulis in the closing stages, forcing a mistake and a crash from the race leader with three laps remaining. That left the way free for Dale and Mooses. On the same lap, Townley overtook Patriks Cirulis to take fourth place. Dale took the chequered flag first, ahead of Mooses, Martins Cirulis, Townley and Patriks Cirulis. That ensured that overall victory in Gaildorf also went to Dale, followed by Martins Cirulis and Mooses. In the championship, Martins Cirulis regained the lead and now tops the table ahead of Dale and Patriks Cirulis. Injury prevented Luca Nierychlo (D/KTM MX Futures) from racing in Gaildorf, and he consequently dropped to fourth place, ahead of Mooses.
"I gained a lot of positions in turn two, having failed to accelerate away well at the start. That put me in a good position to win the race. I will continue to train hard, in order to make it onto the top step of the podium again at the remaining two events," said a confident Dale.
Team competitions: Double success for MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing
A team’s best result in each class counts towards the ADAC MX Masters team classification, whereby the result in the ADAC MX Masters class counts double. The results in the ADAC MX Masters class do not count in the Young Talents Team competition. In Gaildorf, the MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing team won both classifications. In the ADAC MX Masters Team competition, second place in Gaildorf went to the Kosak Racing Team, ahead of the KTM Sarholz Racing Team. The Kosak Racing Team leads the championship, followed by Schmicker Silve Racing and the KTM Sarholz Racing Team. In the Young Talents Team classification, the Schmicker Silve Racing team finished runner-up in Gaildorf, ahead of the KTM MX Futures team. MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing tops the table in this competitions, followed by Schmicker Silve Racing and KTM MX Futures.
All the races from both days of the event can be watched as a full replay or individual race replays via the ADAC MX Masters playlist on the ADAC Motorsport YouTube channel.
