Milan Schmuser and Henry Strauss carried SuperEnduro battles to the outdoors at the opening round of the 2025 Hard Enduro Series in Germany, the Champion Hardenduro Challenge in Neuhaus-Schierschnitz.

The eighth season of the Hardenduro Series Germany (HESG) kicked off in Neuhaus-Schierschnitz under perfect weather conditions – and delivered a thrilling start for the fans. The MC Isolator had gone to great lengths to prepare an excellent track on the “Biene” (Bee), to deliver exciting racing and challenging hard enduro obstacles.

Seven races were scheduled, and expectations were high, as, alongside many established riders, several former champions were returning to the starting field.

First test: ACE Bikes Prologue Award

The ACE Bikes Prologue Award kicked off at 8:45am with 125 riders on a course deliberately laid out to be more fluid at the opening round with no classification among newcomers and last year’s riders based on their placing in the previous race. This avoided traffic jams and allowed everyone to set a fair time.

From the start, a close battle for the best time was evident. Last year’s champion Henry Strauss set an early benchmark time, but Leon Hentschel stayed close, just 0.6 seconds behind. Arvid Meyer provided a surprise moment, finishing only ten seconds behind the leaders despite a crash.

But the real thriller was yet to come: returning rider Milan Schmüser took the lead with a strong lap, followed by Pascal Sadecki, who also made an impressive comeback with second place. After two guest starts last year, he is now permanently registered again and is battling for the junior title. The top four were separated by just 1.5 seconds at the end – a taste of what was to come.

Group races

The group races determined the starting grid for the final. Due to the shorter course, three of these races were held in Neuhaus-Schierschnitz. In the first race, three top-class riders, Milan Schmüser, Arvid Meyer, and Leon Hentschel, faced off.

Schmüser didn’t let anything get in the way, pulling away early and winning comfortably. Behind them, Meyer and Hentschel battled it out, with Meyer ultimately proving to be in better shape and securing second place.

In the second group race, Paul-Erik Huster took the lead and held off his pursuers. Pascal Sadecki followed him in second, while guest starter Jonathan Petter put in a strong performance and put the leader under considerable pressure.

Henry Strauss won the third group race. Last year’s champion prevailed ahead of Marc Wulf, while Eric Seifert finished third with an impressive performance, securing his best result in a group race.

Final: A Hitchcockian thriller for victory

The starting gun fired promptly at 4:15 p.m. for the final on the even tougher course. 45 riders, the top 15 from each group race, took to the race – starting in rows of three based on the results from the group races. Schmüser, Strauss, and Huster led the field from the front row.

From the start, a thrilling duel developed between Schmüser and Strauss, who alternated at the front almost every lap. “I can’t count how many times we swapped the lead,” said Schmüser after the race.

On the final lap, the Beta rider was just a hair’s breadth ahead of the KTM rider – and it stayed that way until the finish. With a lead of a bike’s length, Milan Schmüser secured the win ahead of Henry Strauss.

“Won the prologue, won the group race, and now the final – it was an awesome race! I hope the whole season will be just as exciting,” said a delighted Schmüser.

Strauss was also satisfied with his second place: “I made a few mistakes in the prologue, but won the group race and had some great battles with Milan in the final. See you in Reetz!”

Last year’s runner-up Leon Hentschel took third place, followed by former champion Marc Wulf and surprise winner Eric Seifert, who achieved his best career result.

Pascal Sadecki Wins the X-Grip Junior Ranking

In the X-Grip Junior category, Pascal Sadecki took his first ever class victory. Jan Vavolda finished second, just ahead of Matthis Millich, who is looking to reconnect after an injury sustained during the winter.

In the senior category, Kai Uebe triumphed ahead of Alexander Zindt. In the amateur category, Bequirej Arbenit won, making a last-minute entry and immediately becoming the favorite.

For the first time, three riders competed in the HESG-E (electric category). Rico Petzold won ahead of Felix Bräuer and Sven Schönherr.

In the women’s category, Julia Bittner beat Karolina Vrchtova and Lisa Kirmse and could thus become the season favorite.

Luminus Energie HESG Kids: Favorites prevail

The youngest riders in the Hard Enduro Series Germany also delivered impressive performances. In the 65cc class, Jordan Wittenberg made a late entry into the starting field. However, the Letschin native lived up to his role as favorite and confidently secured the win.

Melvin Gohlke triumphed in the 50cc Kids category, while Loris Solbrig prevailed in the 85cc category.

The AUNER Hard Enduro Series Germany continues on April 12 in Reetz. Online entries are available at the following link: www.hardenduro-germany.de/onlinenennung-reetzer-hardenduro-12-04-2025

More information: www.hardenduro-germany.de 

Photo Credit: Michel238pic/Michel Kuchel