Max Nagl, a veteran with the ambition of a foal!

OThe first round of the ADAC MX Masters will be held in Grevenbroich on April 4th and 5th. I'd love to catch that race sometime, even if it's just to watch my favorite German motocross rider. Ever since Max Nagl spontaneously showed up at the VLM opening motocross with his son last year—and even earlier—I've thought he's a great guy, completely down to earth with both feet firmly planted on the ground. He's part of the older generation in terms of age. He's still at least a year old, but ambitious.

An interview is necessary.

The comparison to a fine wine that improves with age comes to mind for Max Nagl. The 38-year-old narrowly missed his sixth title last season on a new bike and with a new team and is hungrier than ever. He wants to secure his first championship in the ADAC MX Masters for Triumph. After a solid preparation, he is full of confidence for the new season, and in this interview, he reveals whether this will be his last racing season as a professional rider.

How is the preparation for the 2026 ADAC MX Masters season going?

Max Nagl: Preparations are going very well, and I'm satisfied. I stayed healthy all winter, which is always the most important thing, and I was able to start the preseason races a bit earlier this year. Everything's going well with the bike, and we're making steady progress in development. More bike updates are coming, which I'll test at the next preseason race in Oss, the Netherlands.

Was the preparation calmer because of the two-year contract with Dörr Motorsport?

Absolutely, it was easier than last year. Back then, it was a completely new project, and the bikes and special parts arrived very late. When I was in Spain last winter, I still had to train with a standard bike because there simply wasn't any material yet. Everything was ready for this winter, and I was able to use some of last year's bikes. That's why it was all a bit more relaxed this time.

A quick look back at the 2025 season: Did you lose the title or win second place?

Looking back on 2025, everything is fine. Of course, I would have preferred to win the title, but I'm also happy with second place considering the circumstances: we had a new team, a new project, and a new engine; that wasn't always easy. A lot of things happened behind the scenes that the public didn't see. There was a lot of work involved, and it cost us a few points at times. But that's how it goes in motorsport; we took that into account, so I wasn't sad about second place. We're in a better position for the 2026 season, and I clearly want to fight for the title again.

Twenty years after your first ADAC MX Masters title, you're still competing for the championship. What's the recipe for such a long career, and will this be your last season?

My career is actually much longer (laughs). But if you consider that 2006 was my first ADAC MX Masters title and I can fight for the title again in 2026, then that's indeed a long time. It's not always easy, and it gets harder every year. I live a very healthy and disciplined lifestyle, from nutrition and training to recovery. These are all things that are necessary to be able to compete at such a high level in the sport at my age. I'll be 39 this year. Many say I should keep going until I'm 40, but I don't know if I will. Right now, I'm deciding year by year. My two-year contract with Triumph expires this year. I'm feeling good right now, I'm motivated, and I enjoy what I do. As long as that's the case, I can continue in this sport. But there comes a point where I might not be able to physically do it anymore or the enjoyment disappears, and then it's time to stop. But I'm not there yet. I want to ride as well as possible this season and I'm going to... I will only start thinking about what I will do in the future in late summer, when negotiations begin.”

What are your pros and cons compared to the younger competition?

An advantage is, of course, my experience. I know exactly how to prepare for the races, what to do during training, and how everything works. You're also a bit calmer during the races and not as nervous anymore. What's missing, however, is explosiveness ('Spritzigkeit'). This means things haven't gotten any easier at the start and in the first laps, especially qualifying. That was never my strong suit anyway, and it's only gotten harder over the years. I've talked about this a lot with my former coach. He gave me tips on how to adjust my training to my age to counteract that. But ultimately, it's biology: you become more and more of a 'diesel'. The longer the race lasts, the better I get, but my sprinting skills simply diminish. I have to compensate for that somewhere else. That's the most difficult task for me.

Who will be the strongest opponents in the new season?

It'll be similar to last year. Roan van de Moosdijk and the usual names from the past two years are all back. Perhaps people like Talviku will join us, or new riders from Sweden and Norway. Since we mainly have sand races, they're obviously very strong there. We'll just have to wait and see; you can only really say anything after the first race.

What event are you most looking forward to?

I'm most looking forward to Bitche in France. A relatively new circuit on the calendar is always fun because it's something different. I like the layout; it's more of a hard-packed track, but with a sandy surface. That makes the riding very tough because it creates extremely large and deep holes, but I like that. I actually enjoy riding at all the circuits except Gaildorf; that's always been a problem for me in recent years. But I've thought about that too, and I'm going to try something new this year. We'll only see during the race whether it works out.

Has anything changed in your program?

What's changed technically compared to last year is that we could now focus more on performance instead of reliability, to fine-tune the bike even better for me. My bike will have a bit more power this year, and we've made some chassis adjustments to the swingarm. I'm also now working with ORS Suspension, with whom we've already made significant progress on the suspension. These are the kinds of details that really help me as a rider. I also have a different race mechanic this year. However, everything at home has remained the same: I have the same training mechanic, the physical preparation is the same; basically, everything is the same as always.

All credits: ADAC.