T
HERE IS AN AIR of
mystery surrounding
Max Nagl. How
can somebody so
unassuming, friendly
and so damn unlucky
be so fantastically fast on a
motorcycle and now be sitting
as the current master of MXGP?
Nagl will be 28 in August and is
a former factory KTM and Honda
rider in the premier class, which
he entered back in 2007. He has
weathered some horribly tough
moments in his career; one that
boasts a smattering of victories
and a runner-up position to Cairoli
in 2009. Despite numerous broken
bones, a serious back injury in
2010/11, infections, viruses and
a two year episode that didn’t
quite work out with HRC, Nagl has
continued to battle through. There
have also been bright moments
for the son of the German Nations
team manager, such as his Nations
success in 2013, the recent birth
of son Mason, as well as his longstanding status as Germany’s ‘next
one’ until Ken Roczen came along.
I’ve previously interviewed Max
about speed (there is no other
rider quite so prolific from holeshot
to chequered flag) and about
injury but never about leading the
standings of F