28/11: The silly off-season started

After an entire month without any updates I would like to give you a review on what was going on. On the last october weekend I had the last race of the season at my hometrack. Furthermore I attended a few trophy presentations with my dad. He got 2nd overall in the Thuringia championship (he missed one round) and 5th overall in the highly competitive North Bavarian Championship. Due to my injury he finally had the well deserved time to do more race then usually. (He used to skip races to support me at the FIM Women's World Cup rounds as well as the DMV-Ladies-Cup). Good job, Daddy! I also took some time off from riding, concentrated on my studies at university and was on vacation in Turkey. I had plenty of time to relax and enjoy a pretty sweet hotel. Have a look at the two photos above to see how the hotel looked like. But now I start to miss racing and riding a lot. I wish the 2007 would start once again right now. I also had another appointment with my shoulder specialist. I had my shoulder x-rayed once again and he suggested to have another surgery to get my full movement back, but I think I won't do that, because it is not clear if it will be better afterwards. Shoulder surgeries have a high risk of causing further damage. So I will avoid that.

24/10: The End of a quite disappointing race season

This is a quick update before the end of the 2007 season, which was a short one for me. I did a bit more than 10 races, which is really frustrating. I just got my confidence back lately and started to ride better, but now my progress came to a temporary end. On monday I had another appointment with a doctor and he wasn't satisfied with my progress. Next week I will have another MRI to see what's wrong with the shoulder and why I can't move it any better. Oh man, that wasn't a really nice thing to hear. Having another surgery would be a big set back for me. Keep your fingers crossed that there's no need for that, because I don't have the power to start the fight once again. At the end I want to thank a few people for staying behind me during the bad days of my injury and the time without riding. Thank you. Thumbs up to my great family and my sponsors, that are the best in the world. They kept faith in me and didn't let me alone at any point. Working with you guys is awesome and I am looking forward to 2008. It can't get any worse than this one.

03/10: Final Round: 2007 DMV-Arai-MX Ladies Cup - Bad Salzungen

Right before the end of the 2007 season I decided to participate in the final round of the 2007 Ladies Cup held at the track in Bad Salzungen. I didn't really know what to expect, because I haven't ridden any Ladies Cups since my injury. Nevertheless this comeback was a very nice experience for me. It was a first success after all those hard weeks of physical therapy and intensive pain. After a few days of hard rain, the promotor did an awesome job to bring the track in great shape. By the time sunday came around, the track was perfectly prepared and a pleasure to ride on. In the first practice I secured the 3rd fastest time, behind Maria Franke and Steffi Laier. The qualifying practice didn't go as good, because I couldn't find a good rhythm in my fastest laps. I got a horrible jump off the gate in moto #1 and was almost in last place, because I struggled with my clutch. In the first couple of laps I passed a good amount of riders and was in 6th for a while, when I lost my focus and started to make stupid mistakes. Whenever I came closer to Marianne Veenstra in 5th I lost time again and again. So we had a good battle going on between 4th, 5th and 6th. Unfortunately I didn't find my rhythm back until the checkered flag came out. Back in the paddock I wasn't satisfied, because I knew that my speed was good enough for 4th place. I kept my head down and put a lot of focus on my second moto. My dad changed my clutch discs to give me the extra edge at the start and also throughout the race. It worked really good, because I was 2nd after the start behind Steffi Laier. I kept that position for two laps, then Maria Franke got by. I didn't have anything for her and just concentrated on my own race. So I was in 3rd for the majority of the race. In the final stages of the moto I got tired and Larissa Papenmeier passed me. I kept her in sight till the checkered flag, but was unable to pass her back. I am still happy with that results, because my main goal was to finish the race without crashing and see where I am staying. I have seen that I am not too far off the pace of the top runners, which keeps me motivated throughout the winter. In the meantime I am focusing on the full recovery of my shoulder with intensive physical therapy, because we lost progress lately and I can't move my arm higher then 150 degrees. At the end I would like to thank the local crowd for cheering me on during my races. A special thanks goes out to my mechanic for this weekend (...beside my dad...), who did an awesome job to make my race comeback a great experience. THANK YOU!

18/09: Thuringia Championship Graefentonna

This time I went to a completely new track. On saturday I raced in an open class to gain some experiences for the more important race held on sunday. To tell you the truth, I struggled a lot with the track conditions there. So it was a really good decision to take those extra laps as a preparation. In moto #1 I almost went away with the holeshot, but a guy with a KX 500 stole it away from me. In the course of lap 1 I lost a lot of ground, because I didn't ride well on the watered track. So I finished in 8th. Moto #2 started with a similar start and I finished in 8th again. Sunday morning started with the qualifying practice in which I secured the 4th best time. Race #1 started with a mediocre start, followed by a hard hit with one of my fellow racers, who landed on top of my recently injured shoulder. Fortunately nothing bad happened and I didn't go down. I passed a few riders and finished in 5th. Moto #2 wasn't much different and I was in 6th for the major part of the race, when the race was red flagged. So we had a restart at the end of the race day. In the 2nd try of moto #2 I didn't get a good jump and I was in 7th for a few laps. Then I made the final pass and was in 6th. With three laps to go I dug deep and put pressure on the guy in front of me. One lap later I got the job done and finished the moto in 4th. Thanks to the spectators for cheering me on all the way to the finish line. It felt really good and gave me some extra power for the final few laps.

18/09: NBS Race Rudolstadt/ Auner Cup Dechantskirchen

On Saturday I raced the Senior/ Women's class in Rudolstadt, a track close to my hometown with a layout featuring some really nice jumps. In the qualifying practice I secured the 3rd fastest time close to my dad, who was in 4th. In moto #1 I got a terrible start and had to work all the way through the pack finally finishing in 3rd in front of my dad, who did really good that day. In moto #2 I had a top 5 start and made some important passes in the early laps of the race. I was in 2nd and started to put pressure on the leader, when I made a terrible mistake and stalled my bike. After remounting in the back of the pack I came back to 9th place by the time the checkered flag came out. I skipped my sunday class to participate in the final round of the 2007 Auner MX Cup. After a long drive throughout the night, we arrived at the track in the early morning hours. I had a nearly perfect day there, because I got two holeshots and two moto wins. Unfortunately my friend Petra crashed out in practice on saturday, so she was unable to participate in the races on sunday. Nevertheless she remained at the track and helped me out all day long. Thank you!!! Furthermore I would like to thank the MSC Dechantskirchen for all the support, especially the entire Buchegger family for the nice weekend. I am looking forward to returning to these races next year.

12/09: Enduro-Cross Teuchern

This weekend was really special for me, because I returned to a track I grew up on, which I haven't been to for more than 5 years. I collected a couple of wins there in the late 90's on 65 and 85cc bikes, so I have to admit that this track has always been good to me. Saturday afternoon was dedicated to practice, but due to some rain I just did one 20 minute practice session. On sunday we had awesome race condtions, because a little bit of rain in the early morning hours made the track almost perfect. I didn't get a good gate for the first moto, because they decided gate picks according to overall ranking, so I came to the starting gate at the end of the pack. Nevertheless I pulled a top 6 start and finished in 4th place. Moto #2 started a bit better and I was in 3rd after the start. It got a bit crowded in the 2nd corner so I lost two spots. By the halfway point I was in 5th, but was closing in on the two riders in front of me.  Shortly after I made the pass stick for 4th. Now I had my sights set for the guy in front of me. A few laps later I was on his rear fender, but couldn't manage to pass him. So I went 4-4 for 4th overall on the day. All in all it was a great day and I had great battles. I am still not back where I used to be, but I am working on improvements.

05/09: NBS Race Bramberg/ Thuringia Championship Gotha

As indicated earlier I decided not to participate in the final round of the 2007 FIM Women's World Cup held in Lierop/ Netherlands. For this reason I have chosen two local races. On saturday I raced the North Bavarian Championship in Bramberg. After some rain in the morning practices, the weather got better and we had good conditions in both races. I had two decent starts and finished both motos in 3rd place for 3rd overall in the Senior/ Women's class. The two riders in front of me were a bit faster, so I didn't get the chance for a better finish. We left the track right after the 2nd moto and went to another track for the Thuringia Championship in Gotha.

On Sunday we had good weather and good track conditions. I raced the 125cc class. The day started with a 15 minute long qualifying practice, in which I struggeled a bit, because I needed too long to get used to the track (free practice was held on saturday afternoon). In moto #1 I got a terrible start and had to fight through the pack. I ended the moto in 8th place. In moto #2 I got a good jump, but went too fast in the first corner. So I lost a couple of spots. Also there was a pile-up in the 2nd corner so I lost further spots. Nevertheless I passed some riders and ended in 7th. Although my riding got better each lap, I wasn't satisfied with my performance on both racing days. I still have a lack of speed and confidence. For this reason it was the right decision not to race in any big races (such as the Women's World Cup in Lierop) this year after my injury.

See you soon, Alex

21/08: Auner-Cup Griffen

On Saturday I raced the Auner Cup Open...but it didn't go very smooth. In the second half of the free practice session I destroyed my dad's bike. Have a look at the piston...Doesn't it look strange? We are currently trying to rebuild it. But two broken valves caused an immense amount of damage. In the qualifying practice I took my bike, but I needed to long to get used to it, so I missed the qualification by less than 0.07 seconds. As the 1st reserve rider I didn't get to ride in either moto. I was sad for the rest of the day but was looking forward to racing on sunday. In the the meantime I got to meet pretty cool people and hung out with my friend Petra. As a compensation for that I had a nearly perfect run on sunday. I posted the fastest qualifying time, holeshoted the first moto and took both moto wins for the overall. Thanks for everyone who helped me out this weekend. Special thanks to the Sadnik family and the rest of the organizing crew in Griffen. Also I want to thank Andy Radolf and Alex Langer for the great photos.

12/08: Everts and Friends Charity Race Neeroeteren/ Belgium

Yesterday the 2nd edition of "Everts and Friends Charity race" took place on the beautiful track in Neeroeteren/ Belgium.We enjoyed a very nice day of racing for the benefit of the "Fondatioun kriibskrank kanner". My greatest desire is, that this event raised a good amount of money to help those little children fighting against their illness. For this reason the event presented a very good line-up of World GP riders such as: Kevin Strijbos, Tanel Leok, David Philipaerts, Ken De Dycker,10 time World Champion Stefan Everts and many more. Also the majority of Women's World Cup racers were on board to help this event. To make it even more interesting Stefan Everts and the organizers of the event developed a special race format including an American Race (the last 3 riders dropped out after just one lap, at the end only 4 riders remained), Tennis races (two riders against each other), Wrong way race (riding the track the other way around), Women's Chase (the male riders started 15 seconds ahead of the females and they had to lap us) as well as a few races in normal race format. After missing the major part of the 2007 race season and after some really hard weeks of recovery I was back on the track for the first time after my big first turn pile-up in april. To be honest, I didn't expect anything, because I hadn't ridden for over 3 months (I won't receive a permission to ride again from the doctors before the start of 2008) and just tried to ride a little bit in the week prior this event. So I was free of any pressure and had a fun day riding. I am not even close to 100% and all my major rivals of the past are way in front of me right now. But that doesn't matter, I need to keep my head down and continue to make improvements. My riding got better in each moto. By the end of the day I was riding with the girls ranked around 5th place overall in the German Ladies Cup. So that made me really satisfied for the moment. The women's chase and the wrong way race were a lot of fun. It is really cool to ride in the same race with the top World GP riders. Check out the photos above, with World Champ Stefan Everts behind me... Hehe (but just for a few corners). Also it was funny to see the World GP riders on the little 85cc bikes along with the regular 85cc riders. At the end I would like to thank the organizer Serge Giuliani, MC Maasland Neeroeteren for the great track, the World GP riders, the champ Stefan Everts and the Sacchi Bros. for the great photos. Take a minute and check out more photos at: http://www.sacchibros.com/pages/07report_charity.htm

30/07: Injury Update #7

I am still working hard at my recovery. I have physical therapy 3 times a week, which is making my shoulder stronger each time. Yesterday I took the rare chance to visit the MX World GP in Loket as a visitor. It was really nice to be back in the business, meet friends, sponsors and some other cool people. Otherwise it was a strange feeling being at a World Championship round and staying behind the fence, while my female competitors were racing at the 8th round of the DMV-Ladies-Cup. Nevertheless I had a great time!!! See you, Alex

18/07: Injury Update #6

As you probably know I am still recovering from my shoulder injury. There is still no exact date when I will return to racing. I am still doing physical therapy and started with some swimming All I know is, that it will take some more time. In the meantime I went to the Moto GP race held at Sachsenring. I had a great time over there, because I am a big fan of the Moto GP racers, especially multitime World Champ Valentino Rossi and 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden.

03/07: Injury Update #5

The progress of my shoulder slowed down a bit and the physical therapy gets harder and harder and the treatment hurts a lot right now. Nevertheless I have positive feelings, because I know, that someday I will be back on the bike.  Last weekend was pretty hard for me, because I missed Rd. #2 of the Women's World Cup. I am sure that the girls did a great job in Uddevalla. Congratulations to Katherine, Livia, Maria and Larissa. Also I would like to wish Steffi Laier a speedy recovery. She won moto #1 and had the lead in moto #2, when she crashed and couldn't continue the race. It's hard to see how much bad luck Steffi has this season. She has two wins and two DNF's in four motos. Good luck for the remaining races!!!

21/06: Injury Update #4

Yesterday I had another appointment with my doctors. Right now my progress is really good, so I hope to be back on the bike earlier than suggested. The surgery took place 6 weeks ago, the crash was 8 weeks ago. That means two months without riding. How crazy is that? To be honest, it's almost impossible to wait any longer. For this reason I already had a try with my pitbike...Hehe!!! I know it is quite early, but it worked somehow...Just really careful, slow and patient!

15/06: Injury Update #3

My shoulder is getting better and better, but it is still a long way to go. I am still working hard to improve the movement through physical therapy. I am getting close to 90°, but considering the full movement of 360° I just made 1/4 of it. I am still hoping to make it to at least a few more races at the end of the season, but you never know what will happen. So let's hope for the best. Thanks for your continuing support. See you soon, Alex #99

25/05: Injury Update #2

As indicated earlier I want to take some time to give you a quick update on my injury. The surgery took place about two weeks ago and everything went well. I already started the long way to (hopefully) full recovery! In a arthroscopic surgery the doctors fixed my shoulder joint with a few fasttak anchors, whose task it is to avoid further dislocations of my shoulder. If everything goes well from now on, my shoulder should be close to 100%  in about 6 months. This week I started physical therapy, which is quite painful, but helps a lot to get the feeling of movement back. I am doing my best to be back on the bike as soon as possible, but I still have a long way ahead of me. Right now all I can do is, to work very hard with my physical therapist and to be patient. Don't understand me wrong, but this is so incredibly hard. I have been racing for 15 years and I never had to drop out for an entire season. I am helping out my dad at some local races, to get at least the feeling of MX as a spectator and mechanic. Once again I want to thank all of you guys for the continuing support, especially (my) the greatest family in the world. Throughout the last weeks they always supported my 110% percent. A couple of times I felt like a little child, because I couldn't comb my hair or  lace up my boots...I can tell you something, that's a terrible feeling! Hihi...At the end I want you to have a look at the pictures from recent x-rays. The little white points you see, are the anchors they put it, which have to replace the damaged edge (labrum) of the shoulder.

Looking forward to seeing you at the track! Regards, Alex #99

09/05: Injury Update #1

This is a final, quick update from the hospital. All the preparations are over, so the surgery will take place tomorrow and I am getting nervous!!! Hopefully everything will go as planned and I won't have too much pain after the surgery. I am looking forward to a speedy recovery. Can't wait to be back on the bike in a couple of months!!! As soon as the surgery is over and I am feeling better , I will give you further information on the result. Once again I want to thank all the people supporting me during my injury. At first I want to give a big kiss to my great family, but I also want to thank my friends, sponsors and fans. Thanks for all the guestbook entries. Last but not least I want to wish my fellow racers good luck for Rd. #1 of the 2007 FIM Women World Cup held at Teutschenthal, especially our top German riders Steffi Laier, Maria Franke, Larissa Papenmeier and Birgit Lemp. Have fun and kick some butt!!!

Regards from Alex #99 @ the hospital

01/05: Injured at my hometown race       

After “surviving” those conditions I was looking forward to my hometown race in Triptis, which has always been considered as one of my highlights. Due to regular race preparations the hometown race is always very stressful for me. Nevertheless I had a good outing on Saturday in the Senior/ Women’s class, where I finished 2^nd in moto #1 and 1^st in moto #2, securing the overall win on Saturday. Sunday’s free practice went good and I was thrilled to race my competitors that day. But it all came down to a very bad end. Actually it started in the timed practice session, where I had a hard crash (following a minor mistake) in the very first lap. Following that I never got the chance to get a decent laptime. I secured 5^th position, which was not really what I expected. I started moto #1 in 2^nd position, but lost two spots in the course of the first few laps to Steffi Laier and Maria Franke. Shortly after that I finally found a good rhythm and could gain valuable time to Steffi, Larissa and Maria. I got a bit closer and saw them right in front of me. I pushed it a little bit too hard and fell down one lap later. Remounting in 10^th position, after loosing about 1min to the front runners, I finished the race in 7^th. During the break I thought about some changes, got through my mistakes and I was ready to rock in moto #2. When the gate dropped, I had a good jump, but suddenly had a shifting mistake and dropped back to 7^th or 8^th. Lots of riders were close together and I was forced to the ground without notice, which caused a big starting crash. I was lying underneath a few bikes and felt terrible pain in my right shoulder. When all the dust settled I tried to remount, but the damage on the bike and my body was too bad. I went straight to the paramedics and got strong pain-relievers. After a short examination the two doctors realized a dislocated right shoulder. So they did their best to relocate it. I took a ride to the nearby hospital to get x-rays. On Monday morning I went to another hospital in the area and had further examination (CT and MRT). As it looks right now, I will be out for about 6 months. Nevertheless I will do my best to be back on the bike as soon as possible, maybe by the end of this year. Stay tuned for more information about my injury. The surgery is scheduled for May, 10th. Thanks for all the great wishes I got throughout the last week from you guys. I appreciate your consideration a lot. It is awesome to have people staying behind me in such a hard time.

01/05: April Race Update

Sorry for the delay, but due to connecting problems I couldn’t update my website recently. This year I had a pretty good off-season and a good start into the race season. My first race was Rd. #1 of the 2007 Thuringia Championship held in Rottleben. Even if I didn’t have the best starts, I had two strong motos and finished 4^th overall and was ranked 2^nd in the championship.

One week after the Easter weekend the 2007 DMV-Ladies-Cup kicked off in Dreetz. I wasn’t too happy with the happenings earlier that week, because we didn’t get my new 2007 KXF 250 running (missing parts). So I was forced to compete with my 2006 race bike. Following those equipment problems were a couple of others…So the momentum I had earlier in 2007 changed for the worse in the 1^st important race of the year. Also I didn’t practice on any sand track since Altmersleben last summer, so I simply wasn’t prepared. It did my best and finished at least inside the top 10. Congrats to Steffi Laier, Larissa Papenmeier und Maria Franke, who did an awesome job in the deep sand.

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