Roan van de Moosdijk goes unbeaten all weekend. Tom Koch climbs into second place in the table. First event podium of the season for Noah Ludwig.
Championship leader Roan van de Moosdijk (NL/Kosak Racing Team) lived up to his billing as favourite at round five of the ADAC MX Masters, scoring maximum points in each of the three races. Tom Koch (D/KTM Sarholz Racing Team) finished runner-up in Gaildorf to climb into second place in the table, while Noah Ludwig (D/KTM Sarholz Racing Team) claimed his first event podium.
White vest for Van de Moosdijk
Championship leader van de Moosdijk looked full of confidence at the iconic track. Qualifying saw the Acerbis Best Qualifier establish an ideal starting position for the three races. In Saturday's opening race, he took the lead from Red Bull Holeshot winner Ludwig around the halfway point of the race, before controlling his advantage through to the finish. It was a similar story in race two on Sunday: this time, Koch was fastest out of the gate. However, van de Moosdijk calmly went about his business in the early stages, before turning up the heat after the first third of the race. He then controlled his lead over the chasing pack, and went on to take another comfortable victory. In the third race, Ludwig again took an early lead at the start. Van de Moosdijk did not hang around though, overtaking him on lap five to ensure he picked up maximum points over the course of the weekend.
"If there is anything I would like to improve, it would be my starts. I was not entirely happy with them. Noah and Tom drove well after their holeshots, but I am happy that I was able to get the upper hand and then consistently open a gap ahead of them. I am already looking forward to the next event in Vellahn, as I have never ridden there before," said a delighted van de Moosdijk.
Koch emerges as closest challenger
Tom Koch was the only rider, along with van de Moosdijk, who finished in the top three in all three races. After coming home third behind his team-mate Ludwig in the opening race, he was able to keep pace with the Dutchman for long periods of Sunday's two races, before eventually finishing runner-up on both occasions. The successful weekend in Gaildorf makes Koch the biggest threat to van de Moosdijk in the championship as it stands.
"It was a good weekend, with a holeshot and three solid races. That was my goal, as I had been pretty inconsistent at the previous events. Roan has been strong all year, but I believe I am getting closer to him, and hope things continue to go this well at the remaining two events," said a satisfied Koch.
Ludwig continues to improve
Noah Ludwig backed up the improvement in form that he had shown in recent events. He got away well in all three races in Gaildorf, twice sprinting to the Red Bull Holeshot. In race two, he was second after the opening lap. Only race winner van de Moosdijk managed to pass him in race one. Ludwig was then overtaken by Kevin Brumann (CH/MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing) around the midway point of race two, and went on to cross the finish line fourth. He was again unable to hold onto the lead in race three, when he was passed by van de Moosdijk, Koch and Jörgen-Matthias Talviku (EST/SHR Motorsports by Hartje). However, he was rewarded for another fourth place and a consistent display with his first event podium of the season, which also saw him climb to sixth place in the championship.
"That was my best weekend of the year, and I am happy to finally be back on the podium. Three good starts, three consistently good races. I was lacking a bit of confidence at first, as things had not gone so well previously. I would like to thank everyone around me who has worked hard in recent weeks to ensure I find my groove again. I am now looking forward to the final two events," said a relieved Ludwig.
In the championship, van de Moosdijk now leads Koch by 70 points. Maximilian Spies (D/Becker Racing) fought back strongly on Sunday to finish fifth in Gaildorf, and consequently held onto third place in the table. Jere Haavisto (FIN/Schmicker Silve Racing) endured a difficult weekend, including a DNF, but still climbed into fourth place ahead of Max Nagl (D/Dörr Motorsport Triumph Racing), who was ruled out of the weekend with an injury.
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.
