Max Nagl is 37 years old, was the first to win the ADAC MX Masters three times in a row, holds the title record of a total of five ADAC MX Masters championships together with Dennis Ullrich and won the first of them back in 2006. Time to stop? Not for Nagl. The reigning champion has reshuffled all the cards once again and signed a two-year contract with the new Dörr Motorsport Triumph Racing powered by Krettek team to defend his title on the Triumph TF 450 RC. In the interview, he reveals why he doesn't want to stop and why he doesn't see the team and brand change as a risk.

New year, new team, new bike. Wasn't retirement considered? "2025 will be a completely new year for me. I'm starting from scratch with Triumph. I think this will be an exciting project. Even during the preparations, a few things were delayed a bit, so the motorcycles came a little later. But I already took that into account when making my decision. But little by little all the material arrives and I have a lot of test work ahead of me. But I'm confident for the season. I can imagine that it will be a bit different than the last few years. But I think it will also be a bit more exciting for the fans."

How did the change come about? "I'm now 37 years old and will be 38 in the season. At an older age, you always need something new to gain new motivation. With Honda, I actually achieved all the titles and results in the two years that I could win. That's why I needed a new project. That's what I get at Triumph, especially because there, with the bike developed from scratch, everything is at the beginning. I'm the first rider to get the 450, and there are always problems at the beginning. That's just the way it is and I see it a bit as my job to help. I'm always in contact with the engineers in England to develop and improve the bike bit by bit."

In recent years, contracts have only been signed for one season. Now there was a surprise with a two-year contract. "This is actually unusual for me. Normally, I've always said I'll make one-year contracts so that I can say every year 'Well, I'll pull the plug, it's enough, I'm old enough now or I've suffered enough from the sport.' But I found such a good cooperation with Dörr and said to myself that the 2025 season would be a learning year to develop the bike and keep trying out new parts. Something can go wrong and then a title may not be possible. Even if the title is of course the goal. But this way we simply have the buffer to say, if everything just doesn't work out right away in 2025, then we have a second year in 2026 to maybe fight for the title, because then maybe everything will be perfect, as it should be. That's the reason for the two years."

Isn't it a risk to switch to a new team with a new, unproven bike? "The decision to go to Dörr Motorsport in combination with Triumph is clearly a risk for both sides. Nobody knew in which direction we would run now. But on the one hand, that was the attraction for me, that I say it's a lot of work and it's something completely new. And on the other hand, Dörr Motorsport has of course been involved for so many years through automobile racing and they know what motorsport is. Whether they use a car or a motorcycle is basically the same and they simply have the experience and background. That's why it was clear to me relatively quickly when we had the first talks that it would fit and that I wanted to do it. I also have the confidence that it will work."

How well does the new Triumph drive? "Riding a new bike is always fun. I also enjoy developing a motorcycle. You start very simply and try different handlebars, handlebar mounts, Xtrig triple clamps with different off-sets. I also work with Kayaba. But I can't just take the suspension from the Honda and install it in the Triumph. So you start from scratch again and work your way forward bit by bit. Every improvement makes me happy again and gives me fire again. When the day ends much better than it started, it's just fun. And then I'm already looking forward to the next day of testing."

What is the goal for the 2025 season? "Somewhere in me there is already the goal to drive for the title. But I'm not putting myself under artificial stress now, as I've been for the last two years. I really wanted to win the title, no matter how, and that built up a lot of pressure. I'm taking the pressure off myself a bit now, because I know that things can go wrong with the new project. But of course, the team and I as drivers are working to make sure that it should still work out somehow, if not this year, then at least in 2026."

Who is expected to be the strongest competition? "To be honest, I don't look at the starter lists before the season, I'm not so interested in who is driving. But of course, Jordi Tixier and Max Spies will be at the front. Marcel Stauffer will certainly be fast. There are other competitors and I'm looking forward to them, because it also enhances the series."

A title hat-trick and the same number of ADAC MX Masters championships as Dennis Ullrich. Do such records motivate you? "So records and numbers are not important to me at the moment. Whether I have one or five titles doesn't change anything for me at the moment. I think it will only be interesting later, when I stop driving at some point and am 50 or 60 years old. Then I think it's more interesting or more fun when you look back on your career and see that you've won a lot of races or won a lot of titles and see the trophies at home. I think then the significance for me is much higher than it is at the moment."

A lot has also changed in clothing, you are now one of the Weber Werkeholics athletes.

"Yes, that's right. Being with Weber now is very good for me in terms of perception in the media. I'm not the biggest social media fan and I post very little there. Thanks to the cooperation, I am now motivated to do a little more there. From the ADAC MX Masters, there will be race vlogs from all races, where I will also be accompanied by the camera. This is then shared on YouTube and Instagram. I'll also try to do a little more with my own content. I think a lot of people might be happy when they get to see me more there and can follow what I'm doing more closely."

This time there was no consistent training program as usual and the season preparation was completely different. How did that come about?

"The pre-season was completely different from all the other years. I extended my winter vacation and went on a real vacation, for three weeks, to really relax. On the one hand, the 450cc Triumph just came a little later than planned and on the other hand, I also needed a bit of a break. 2024 was a long and tough season and I did a lot of races. In 2025 it starts very late, we don't have our first ADAC MX Masters race until the end of April. If I had started training in December or January, it would have been way too early because you can't prepare for a season for four months. That's just too long. In the meantime, I have the experience that I know how to do it. I only sat on the motorcycle for the first time in Spain in mid-February."