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.
"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.
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.