The summer race in Reisersberg was eagerly anticipated. The MCC Reisersberg had already announced several track changes beforehand, which were implemented, and thus the track in the Bavarian Forest was considered one of the best among the previous 4 venues.
Many new rocky sections impressed the riders, accompanied by humid weather as usual for the southernmost event of the series, although no new temperature records were recorded.
Facts, Hardenduro im Hexenkessel Reisersberg 13.07.2024
Weather: 24 degrees, cloudy
ACE Bikes Prolog Award Winner: Henry Strauss (KTM)
Winner: Lenny Geretzky (GasGas)
Fastest Lap: Henry Strauss (KTM), 11:41,897
ACE Bikes Prolog Award shuffled the field
As announced, it rained heavily overnight before race day. Consequently, the track presented itself in a rather slippery condition. Those who completed the approximately 2-minute-long course reported very slippery conditions. The expectation was that the track would improve as more riders raced on it. However, this only happened to a limited extent, as Henry Strauss, who started first, managed to stay ahead in the end. Others crashed, including Leon Hentschel and Lenny Geretzky. Geretzky even crashed twice, which placed him only 27th.
All eyes were on Pascal Sadecki, the junior pilot from the German Enduro Championship, but he also went down once, losing the Prolog victory as a result. Nonetheless, he finished third and was happy with his successful visit to the HESG, where he was a regular starter in 2019.
Henry Strauss
Anticipated final in group race 1?
As always, chance determined which driver entered which group race. However, most top drivers had secured odd-numbered positions in the Prolog, placing them together in the first group race. Lenny Geretzky quickly moved up from the second row. By the second lap, he was in contact with Henry Strauss and managed to win this group race as well.
Due to regulatory requirements, there was then a longer lunch break before the second group took to the track again under humid conditions starting at 1:30 PM. This race was won by Rico Petzold ahead of Matthis Millich and a very strong Eric Seifert.
There were unusually many mechanical failures in the group heats this time, affecting Marcel Teucher, Raven Lippold, and Felix Bopp. Despite repair breaks, all three managed to qualify for the final, albeit starting further back than planned, initially putting a top spot out of reach.
The women's victory once again goes to Maria Franke
The women's victory once again went to Maria Franke. This result pushed her up to 2nd place in the standings, within striking distance of Eva Täuber. However, Täuber might have even better chances in Gefrees on the technical track. Julia Bittner secured her first podium finish of the season after dealing with several minor issues throughout the current season.
Maria Franke
The long final thrilled the audience
Due to the revised schedule, the final started shortly after 4:30 PM. Again, there were 55 minutes + 1 lap on the clock and many new sections that also attracted the fans.
In the early laps, there was a duel between Strauss and Geretzky. From mid-race onwards, the Thuringian driver then pushed harder and managed to pull away slightly from Henry Strauss. At the finish line, the youngster from Lower Saxony commented calmly: "I had some bad luck with minor traffic jams from mid-race onwards. That cost me some time. However, I'm still satisfied with second place."
Geretzky, who secured his first win of the season and third overall in the series, set a fast pace: "It was really fun battling with Henry for the win. I'm definitely happy with this first win of the season and now look forward to the next races."
Taking third place was Leon Hentschel, who himself won in Reisersberg in 2021 and also praised the track: "I was ill before the race and couldn't do much. So, third place is definitely okay."
Geretzky is now the third winner of the season and the fourth in Reisersberg. Each year, a different driver has won, once again proving the competitiveness.
Lenny Geretzky
Henry Strauss is now the mid-season champion, but he only has a 7-point lead over Leon Hentschel. With 3 more races to go, nothing is decided yet.
And what did guest rider Sadecki do?
The Fantic rider from Team Enduro Fleischer in Saxony was beaming after the race. While he couldn't keep up with the fast pace at the front, he will remember his 5 laps completed and 7th place among the juniors positively. As he himself said, it won't be his last visit.
Pascal Sadecki
As in the championship, the individual classes were also very exciting with unexpected results. Among the amateurs, guest rider Michael Egger made a strong showing at the front. The first regular driver was Elias Theodossiou, who even managed to take the lead in the standings.
In the Pro class, Leon Hentschel took first place ahead of Rico Petzold and Wanja Morlinghaus. In the juniors, Geretzky claimed victory over Strauss and the impressive Jan Vavolda. Once again, Andreas Pieper dominated the Seniors category, finishing ahead of championship leader Rene Jerbach and guest driver Christian Leitner.
The DOWATEK HardEnduroSeries Germany will continue on August 3rd in Gefrees, featuring the checkpoint format on the challenging course in the Fichtelgebirge. Registration can be completed here: [https://www.hardenduro-germany.de/registration-granit-scramble-gefrees-03-08-2024](https://www.hardenduro-germany.de/registration-granit-scramble-gefrees-03-08-2024)
For the latest information on the DOWATEK HardEnduroSeries Germany, visit https://www.hardenduro-germany.de and follow them on social media.
Photos: Michel238pic/Michel Kuchel