NAGL WINS COMEBACK RACE IN TENSFELD AT ADAC MASTERS!

Life for a factory rider is demanding and requires dedication. Coming back from major injury problems requires hard work and extreme mental dedication. Max Nagl proved that he was capable of both this weekend when after seven and a half months of injury pause he was allowed back on his factory KTM 450 SX-F and he went out and won his first competitive race.

MX1 Factory teammate to Tony Cairoli and Ken de Dycker, Nagl has been working on his fitness ever since his doctors gave him the go ahead to do so. They agreed to let him race in the sand at Tensfeld although they have advised him to stay off hard pack for a little longer. It was the first track appearance this season for the popular German rider so he went to the ADAC Masters happy to be back but with few expectations about the results. Once the gate had dropped in qualifying it became clear that Nagl was again in winning form and after registering the fastest time he said: “It's good to have seven and a half months injury pause behind me. I didn’t just miss the races, I missed all the action around them.” He also promised his fans that he would go out and fight to be up with the best the following day and that is exactly what happened.

Sunday proved, hot, humid and occasionally stormy but despite what were trickier conditions than Saturday’s qualifying, Max went out to give the 10,000 fans what they wanted. He took the lead at the start of the opening race and dominated right up the finish. This proved his bite and determination are intact as well as his considerable skills in the KTM 450 SX-F. Then to wrap up a good day, he took the second race for the overall victory. His win in the highly competitive ADAC MX Masters class was nothing short of a sensation.

Whether Max is able to compete in the next round of the competition is up to his medical team but now he has nothing to prove. The Red Bull KTM factory team is hoping he will be able to return to GP racing at Loket in the Czech Republic on August 5.

Max Nagl: “I really never thought I had any chance today because to ride over this distance is still very strenuous for me. But I had a good start and I really pushed over the first 15 minutes. I managed to make a gap, that allowed me to control the race and I could ride a bit slower. It was difficult for me in the second race because right from the beginning Markus (Schiffer) was right behind me. Naturally he put the pressure on me but luckily I was able to hold on to the end of the race. I am super satisfied with the ride today. I have a headache because it was very tiring to ride in the rain, but apart from that it was a super day!”