Our young athletes are ready for takeoff

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Off to the new season

The opening race in Winterberg is always a highlight. But it's not just our rookies who will be pedaling next week. The iXS Dirt Masters Festival offers exciting competitions in all categories and age groups. But it's not just about speed, there will also be the well-known Slopestyle Contest, the Whip Off Contest and the German Enduro Championship.

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The day of the rookies

On the first day of the festival there will be a lot of action. The VPACE Kids Cup will start with the youngest talents on Thursday, May 18 from 13:30. The PROPAIN Rookies Cup starts on the same day at 14:30 with the seeding run. Afterwards, the grand finale of the rookies will take place at approximately 17:00.

The track is similar to last year. It is 1500 meters long and leads 200 meters down into the valley. As always, some modifications have been made to the track to provide some serious racing action. As always, one factor cannot be calculated - the weather. So it remains to be seen what the conditions will be in the end. In total, over 200 rookies and 100 kids will compete in the races.

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The step into professional sport

Rookie races are often the beginning of international careers. Big names such as Valentina Höll or Max Hartenstern have already competed in this race series. They gained experience, trained hard and competed against a lot of other young talents. All this has made them what they are today - international professional downhill racers. So if you want to see the stars of tomorrow, you might already be able to watch them at the Rookies Cup.

A young talent in the Rookies Cup is Billy Pugh. The 15-year-old Englishman already rides for the YT Mob and has already had some success in the past. He recently raced some Enduro races to prepare for the season. The endurance needed in these races and the sometimes very challenging tracks are good training for the upcoming downhill season.

Billy Pugh:

"I'm really excited about getting out to the Dirt Masters Festival. Besides the racing action, it's great to get to know different riders from different countries. This year has been pretty busy for me and the YT Mob, a few downhill races and even some freestyle action got me in the mood for the season. Soon it's off to Winterberg in Germany for me. I am so excited to see what the team there have built ready for some big sends and great times."

So next week it starts! Until then, however, there are still some preparations to be made. But the anticipation is already there. We are looking forward to your visit and your participation at the iXS Dirt Masters Festival 2023.