- Strong Weekend Marred by a DNF
- Third Place in the Championship Strengthened
- Successful French Premiere of the ADAC MX Masters
Last weekend, the ADAC MX Masters hosted a race in France for the very first time. In border-town Bitche, riders were greeted with a beautiful mixed-soil track. Rain before the weekend and again on Saturday midday made the conditions heavy and challenging. In qualifying, Max finished fifth in his group, giving him 10th pick at the start gate.
“I was only one second off the fastest time, but unfortunately a few riders were still between us. On my last fast lap, the yellow flag came out and I had to take lines in the softer parts of the track to avoid slower riders. Well, that’s racing, but the speed is definitely there,” Max said confidently before the three motos.
In the first race, Max got off to a strong start and quickly settled into third place. After Noah Ludwig crashed, he inherited second and even held off championship leader Roan van de Moosdijk for a time. As the race progressed, Max pulled away and finished a solid second behind Max Nagl.
“That was a solid race. The track was really demanding, so I focused on keeping my pace steady rather than pushing too hard. After Noah’s crash, I moved into second and just rode my own rhythm. It was a good start to the weekend,” Max reflected.
In Sunday’s second race, Max didn’t get away as well as the day before. He had already climbed to seventh place when a leaking radiator cap caused issues. He tried to fix the problem, but it reappeared after three laps. During a pit stop, the cap finally burst, ending his race.
“That was really unfortunate, because I was already on my way toward the top five. I got some minor burns on my fingers and wrist from the hot coolant, but luckily the palms of my hands didn’t get hurt. It’s frustrating, especially since the radiator cap had been mounted correctly,” Max said, disappointed about the missed result.
After switching to his spare bike, Max once again got a great start and slotted in right behind Max Nagl in second. When Nagl went down in the opening lap, Max moved into the lead. He held the top spot for much of the race before Liam Everts passed him toward the end. Once again, Max finished second.
“I’m really satisfied with my riding this weekend. With two second-place finishes and a top-five result instead of the DNF, an overall podium—or even a win—would have been possible. Still, I’ve solidified third place in the championship, and going into the season finale in Holzgerlingen, everything from runner-up to the title to fourth place is still possible. Anything can happen. I’ll make sure I’m fully prepared when the gate drops,” Max concluded.
Results:
Quali: 10 (5 in Group A)
Moto 1: 2
Moto 2: DNF
Moto 3: 2
Overall: 6
Championship: 3
