Under perfect weather conditions and with a large crowd in attendance, the DOWATEK HardEnduroSeries Germany kicked off the sixth event of the 2023 season on Sunday at 10:00 AM. The MelzExdraehm once again delivered on its promises this year. Initially, there were suggestions that the track, which was ridden in the opposite direction except for the highlights, was too fast and offered less challenge. However, in the end, most pilots found it to be quite demanding. The race was particularly thrilling at the top, as for the first time, a checkpoint system was implemented, similar to what was done in Gefrees. This resulted in fewer traffic jams, allowing the leaders to focus entirely on their performance.
Facts, MelzExdraehm Meltewitz, 24.09.2023
Weather: 18 degrees, partly clouded
Prolog Award Winner: Leon Hentschel (GasGas)
Winner: Lenny Geretzky (GasGas), 02:09:52,690
Fastest lap: Felix Bähker (Sherco), 24:30,041
"Prolog Award with surprising twists"
Already in the Prolog Award, which was conducted on a diverse course with many obstacles, there were some surprises. Initially, Fynn Hannemann, who was also the current Prolog Award leader and had gone first onto the track, took the lead and set the fastest time. However, this lead didn't last long, as Leon Hentschel, despite his late starting position due to his delayed entry into the season, managed to take the lead as an experienced member of the DOWATEK team and win the Prolog Award.
A big surprise came from Henry Strauss, who, at 14 years old, is still one of the youngest participants. He claimed third place and made his mark at the forefront of an extremely tight field. Strauss in third place and Marc Wulf in sixth place were separated by only 1.3 seconds. The top 32 were within a 30-second range.
Leon Hentschel
"Geretzky demonstrated his strength."
Lenny Geretzky started the race with a cold. Until Friday, the Suhler was unwell, but fortunately, he recovered in time. His level of fitness became evident right from the first of the five rounds to be completed when he pulled ahead of his competitors who had started the race with him in the same minute.
At CP 2 after 22 minutes, he already had a lead of 33 seconds. He consistently extended this lead as his competitors behind him engaged in close battles. Felix Bähker and Marc Wulf traded places in second multiple times, with the gap between them never exceeding 2 minutes.
In the end, Geretzky won with a lead of just 1 minute and 16 seconds over Felix Bähker. This makes him the fourth winner since 2018 when the HESG first visited Meltewitz. Wulf, who had won in Meltewitz the previous year, finished third and also lost his overall lead to Lenny Geretzky. Geretzky now leads by 3 points ahead of Marc Wulf and 17 points ahead of Felix Bähker. With two more races to go, nothing is decided yet, and we are heading towards an exciting finale.
Lenny Geretzky, upon achieving his second season victory at the finish line, said: "I'm super happy that I won despite having a cold. The race was really fast, but there were also technical sections, especially the rocky fields, which were extremely fun."
Felix Bähker, who finished in second place, was also satisfied: "Lenny initially pulled away quite a bit, but I gave it my all to catch up. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch Lenny, but I'll keep working and hope to be at the top in Schwepnitz."
Marc Wulf had to start from the second row but fought his way forward: "Starting from the second row wasn't easy. My goal for the remaining races is to navigate well and continue fighting for the title."
Sauer with his second amateur victory.
Kevin Sauer
In the individual class rankings, every second counted. Since a total of 21 drivers completed the specified 5 rounds within the 180-minute time frame, many drivers reached the finish line in their respective classes. For all others, the last reached checkpoint was considered the goal.
Although Kevin Sauer is not registered for the series, he secured his second daily victory in Meltewitz after Crimmitschau. Lukas Debus collected full points in the amateur category, reducing his gap to the championship leader Max Rutz to 4 points.
With another daily victory, Marc Wulf clinched the class title in the Pro class prematurely. For the friendly Thuringian, this is his first significant title in the series. In Meltewitz, alongside Wulf, Leon Hentschel and Rico Petzold reached the podium in the Pro class. Both are also tied in points, occupying the fourth position in the standings. Likewise, Arvid Meyer has earned 61 points so far. Paul-Erik Huster, who didn't have his best day in Meltewitz, is in second place in the standings, ahead of Milan Schmüser, who remains third despite an injury.
In the junior class, Lenny Geretzky, like in the championship, secured the victory ahead of Felix Bähker and Fynn Hannemann.In the senior category, Andreas Pieper achieved his second consecutive win, increasing his lead in the standings to 20 points over Reini Rauch.
The best woman in the field completed two rounds and two checkpoints. Eva Täuber demonstrated why she is currently the best female enduro rider in the series. However, the standings remain close, with Julia Bittner trailing by only 8 points.
The next event is already in 2 weeks in Schwepnitz at the Isegrim Enduro. The race with the largest audience in the series will take place on October 7th, and you can register online here: www.hardenduro-germany.de/onlinenennung-isegrim-enduro-schwepnitz-2023/. The HESG Kids will also be participating in Schwepnitz. The track promises some new sections there as well and should be challenging for everyone once again.
Current information about the DOWATEK HardEnduroSeries Germany can always be found on www.hardenduro-germany.de and on social media.
Photos: Michel238pic/Michel Kuchel, GrenzNic640/Silvio Gessner