Part one of the ADAC Supercross Dortmund birthday party was a complete success and the events of the opening evening undoubtedly find a place in the 40-year history of Germany's most traditional SX event. The decisions in the SX1, SX2, SX4 and eKids classes were characterized by excitement and the final freestyle show was peppered with highlights.

At the top of the podium in both major classes: riders from Meyer Yamaha Racing powered by DirtScrub. For fans who couldn't get hold of tickets – the remaining days are sold out – the livestream here on supercross-dortmund.de offers the opportunity to watch the event on their home screen or on the go.

Michael Hicks is in a league of his own With his impressive victory in the SX1 finale, the American Michael Hicks (Meyer Yamaha Racing powered by DirtScrub) set an exclamation mark. Nobody had the 25-year-old on their radar, but with a lead of 5.672 seconds he left the competition behind without a chance.

Behind Hicks, the battle raged between favourites Greg Aranda (Sturm Racing Team) and Jordi Tixier (also Meyer Yamaha Racing powered by DirtScrub). Aranda, who dominated the season opener in Stuttgart, crashed and had to watch as Tixier fought for second place. This means that the championship decision remains exciting - the title will be awarded on Saturday evening, only four points separate the two rivals.

"Dortmund is simply awesome," Hicks praised the fans in Dortmund at the award ceremony. "This is only my second time competing in Germany and I'm going to win straight away – I wouldn't have dreamed of that. My goal is to repeat that tomorrow. The crowd spurs me on a lot."

Tixier had to take a deep breath after 20 laps in the finale: "I'm getting old," grinned the Frenchman. "I was lucky that Greg stumbled, so I got past him without a fight. After we had to struggle with problems in training, I was able to improve from heat to heat in the evening. I'm very happy with the podium finish."

Aranda hopes to stay clear on the second day of the event: "I've been coming here to Dortmund for so long and I've never been able to win on the first day. This year's course is also extremely demanding. I didn't want to risk anything, but I still had to admit defeat to Jordi. Everything is at stake tomorrow and I definitely want to defend the title."