Marcus Schiffer wins German MX opener
Thursday 05 April: Marcus Schiffer kicked off the German ADAC MX Masters Motocross series with victory in the opening round at Fürstlich Drehna in Brandenburg at the weekend.
In the first moto, the Silent Sport RM-Z450 Suzuki rider took the
lead in the early stages, but crashed and had to fight through the field
to finish fourth. But in the second moto, the 24 year old put in a
perfect performance to take his first win against a world-class field of
GP riders.
Marcus Schiffer: "I worked
hard over the winter to be able to start the MX Masters season in
perfect shape. In the first moto I took the lead quickly, but a small
mistake threw me back. Fighting through the field cost me a lot of
strength, which I missed a little bit in the second moto. But finally I
was right there when Xavier Boog made a small mistake, I did everything
within my power; and brought the win home. This was a good start to the
season and a performance to build on."
Both Rockstar Energy
Suzuki Europe Team's MX2 World Championship riders Petar Petrov and
Harri Kullas had strong races: In the first moto, Petrov was thrown back
due to a crash, but the Bulgarian was able to fight through the field
and finish seventh. And in the second moto, the 17-year-old raced to
fourth place overall.
Petar Petrov: "Overall
this wasn't a bad start to the Masters season. The crash in the first
moto was annoying but my speed was good and I saw I was able to fight
for the race win. I'm looking forward to the next Masters race."
Kullas didn't find a perfect rhythm during the weekend on his RM-Z250, but finished eighth overall.
Harri Kullas: "I'm
not really able to say why I didn't find my form during the race. I had
problems with arm cramps and to top it all I got a stomach ache at
Saturday night, but I'm confident and looking forward to the first World
MX2 Championship race at Valkenswaard next weekend."
Beuersfoon
Rockstar Suzuki's Mike Kras completed the strong Suzuki prelude with
sixth place in the Masters class and seventh position went to Team AC
MoTeC - MG Sport by STC's Nicolai Hansen, putting five Suzuki riders in
the top eight at the event.
In the Youngster Cup, Suzuki MX Team 91 team rider Jeremy Seewer took third overall and was happy with his performance.
Jeremy Seewer: "The
small mistake in the second moto was annoying. I lost my front wheel in
a corner and crashed. Although it was good enough for the podium - and
this makes me very confident for the Championship - the next races are
on hard-packed tracks which should suit me better."