Youth talent Max Engelen looks back on his career
Time flies, but not so long ago Max Engelen was considered an up-and-coming talent. Tom's younger brother became Dutch champion 85cc small wheels but was equally successful in the EMX125 and EMX250. In 2016 he fell and suffered a serious back injury. Immediately the end of his motocross career.
In the meantime, Max has of course found new challenges in his life. He has just successfully completed his four-year bachelor's degree in business administration at the IVA Driebergen Business School. Editor Andy talked to him about what was and what could have been.
Are you still a motocross fan, do you watch the GPs or is it too difficult to watch for you?
Angels: “I'm still a big fan of the sport and I always will be. I will always follow motocross
but I still find it difficult to watch matches in person. That's why I watch the races on television or online.”
In 2013 you rode BK Nationals MX2, but 2014, your first year for HSF in 2014, meant an international breakthrough. You finished eighth in the EMX125 final standings despite not scoring any points in the first two rounds. How do you look back on that now?
Angels: “ My goal was to finish in the top ten and I finally succeeded. Still, I was not happy with the end result. I showed the speed of the top five but due to pumped arms I was never able to maintain that speed for the entire race. That's why I made the decision at the end of that season to have surgery.”
You did reach the podium in Valkenswaard in the EMX125, in front of your own audience. How was that?
Angels: “Valkenswaard was great! Definitely one of my best racing memories. It was a rainy weekend, which made the circuit very difficult. I had a very bad qualifying with some big falls. I think as 17th I wish I could have had the fence after qualifying. In the first heat on Sunday I was starting around 20th place, but I climbed to 6th place when I crashed. I finished the first heat in 8th place. In the second moto I got a much better start around 10th place. The track was very difficult and a few riders in front of me made small mistakes, so I could move up to 5th place. With two laps to go, I took third place. Thanks to an 8th and 3rd place I became 3rd overall (laughs), what an experience!”
The following year you switched to the EMX250 – how did you experience that transition?
Angels: “I loved riding 250cc, I felt very comfortable on the bike. All top ten riders from the EMX125 also switched to the EMX250. While the EMX250 was already a very strong and competitive class with many experienced riders. Overall I was very happy with this new step.”
As a rookie season, 2015 was certainly not bad. During the last round in Assen you finished 7thde general. It's always nice to end the season strong.
Angels: “That's right, my first season in the EMX250 actually went better than I thought. The last round in Assen was a positive way to end the season. The track in Assen suited me all weekend and the atmosphere was great. In the second heat I got the holeshot all the way from the outside and led for six laps. Two riders passed me in one lap. When I was hanging third I felt Nick Kouwenberg's hot breath on my neck. We had a nice, hard fight and then I fell. But a 7th place overall was a nice position to end the season with.”
You have already explained this more times than you would like, but can you explain again what exactly happened in your accident in Lelystad and what the consequences were?
Angels: “I think many people have already seen the crash video. It was my second time back on the bike after having surgery on both arms for compartment syndrome. I went to the motocross track in Lelystad with my brother on Saturday morning. The track was in perfect condition and I did some warm-up laps first. There was a new jump that I had already taken several times. I think it was the third round that I made the jump again that day, because of the rain the new jump was a bit softer. The rear wheel bucked, but I was able to stay on the bike. On the fourth lap I went for it again, but I chose a different track, big mistake! I got another big hit from behind, was thrown off the bike and then immediately got hit in the back. The result: two shattered vertebrae and a ruptured intestine. I had to have surgery on my back, they put 7 vertebrae together to keep everything in place, that fixation will be there for the rest of my life.
How did it feel to have to do it so suddenly quit motocross? You were clearly one talent with a promising future. That all disappeared overnight.
Angels: “Of course I was very disappointed, I was devastated. All the blood, sweat and tears seemed to be for nothing. Actually, at first I thought things would turn out fine. However, after a few weeks it became clear to me that I would have to stop racing.”
When you look back what other races or memories come back?
Angels: “Now bad memories are also coming back. But when I look back on my career, I'm sure it was the best time of my life. If I had to pick another notable moment, it would have to be the Junior World Championships in Lierneux, Belgium in 2014. Just to be selected for this race weekend was a memory I will never forget. Lierneux was also a very difficult and technical track.
It had rained heavily the night before qualifying. I was very nervous before the free practice and my riding was really bad. When qualifying practice started, I was much more in Zen mode. My first fast lap was good for the third fastest time, after another fast lap I was the fastest on the track, which meant I was the first to go to the gate on Sunday. In the first heat on Sunday I crashed on the first lap but I came back to - if I remember correctly - P7. In the second moto I was 4th before I went off and shattered my left collarbone. But it was still a good weekend.”
If your back ever gets better, is there any chance we'll see you on a dirt bike again?
Angels: “There is a chance that I will be back on the bike in the near future, but it will be just for fun. I will never be able to ride at the level I used to. Since the day I quit, I've never ridden a dirt bike again. Until a few weeks ago, when I started training with Freek van der Vlist, and I could no longer control myself. Freek saw on my face that I really wanted to ride, then I said f**k, let's ride a few laps (laughs). The feeling I had was great, the number 97 will be back on the track one day!”
Text: Andy McKinstry, Tom Jacobs
Photos: Gino Maes, archive, Nigel McKinstry
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