Things are going from bad to worse for the German team ahead of the 2026 Motocross of Nations in Ernée.
The German selection had already suffered a major blow before even heading to Ernee, with Ken Roczen and Simon Längenfelder both absent from this year’s event. The German federation had therefore turned to a trio of Tom Koch, Maximilian Spies and Valentin Kees to represent the country at the MXDN.
The problem is that Max Spies picked up an injury at the weekend during the penultimate round of the ADAC MX Masters championship in Vellahn, Germany. The Becker Racing rider, who finished 13th at the most recent GP in Arnhem, suffered a heavy crash during his national championship while running third in the standings. He sustained two fractures to his cervical vertebrae. The 22-year-old German rider underwent emergency surgery to stabilise his spine and has now begun his recovery.
He is, understandably, now very likely to be forced to withdraw from the Motocross des Nations.
This would be another major blow for the German team, who will now have to find a replacement for Maximilian Spies. He was due to compete in his second Motocross of Nations, having already represented Germany at the previous edition at Ironman.
The name of Noah Ludwig is already being mentioned as a possible replacement. The Sarholz KTM rider could therefore make his first appearance at the Nations under the German flag. It would also be a first for Valentin Kees, who has never previously competed at the event with the German team.
With just over a month to go before the event in Ernée, the German team could once again be forced to rethink their plans. Following the withdrawals of Roczen and Längenfelder, Maximilian Spies has now joined the list of absentees, leaving Tom Koch as the only rider in the selection with significant experience at the event as the team prepares to head to France to end the Motocross season.
