1970s Ice Speedway

There's some great speedway videos available at the SpeedwayOnDisc blog. Here's some nostalgic ice speedway action from the 1970s.

Peter Koij - R.I.P

Ice Speedway racer Peter Koij was killed in a racing accident on the evening of Wednesday March 30th 2011. The 48 year old Swedish rider was racing in the International  meeting in Västerås, but suffered a punctured front tyre on the second lap of his first heat and hit the fence at high speed. He waved to the crowd as he was carried from the track on a stretcher but it was annouced at the end of the meeting that Peter had sadly died from his injuries. According to the obituary in Speedway Star, his tragic death is the first fatality on the ice in Sweden since Sven Renlund was killed at Ornskoldsvik in 1970.

Peter Koij had qualified for his first World Individual Ice Racing Grand Prix series this winter and finished 15th overall. Earlier in the month Peter had reached the B final of the indoors International at Rattvik and the A final of the Lelles Ice Trophy at Sandviken. The final round of the Swedish Elite league due to be held at Vasteras on thursday March 31st was cancelled in the wake of Peters's death and will not be re-staged.

The ice racing fraternity has lost one of its most enthusiastic and loyal friends. Our thoughts go to his relatives and family. He will be missed and never forgotten.

Krasnikov The Great! (...but has he quit at the top?)

Nikolai Krasnikov was crowned World Ice Speedway Champion for a record breaking seventh consecutive time last weekend, but it could be his last! This was an amazing achievement for the 26 year old Russian and he becomes only the second rider ever to record seven consecutive FIM World titles. The other record holder is Britain's Dougie Lampkin, who won seven consecutive FIM Trials World Titles between 1997 and 2003.

Nikolai Krasnikov celebrates his seventh consecutive Ice Speedway title

The Russian ice racing superstar put a below par performance at Assen behind him to storm to victory in the 4th Grand Prix round at the new Max-Aicher-Arena in Inzell, Germany last weekend. Krasnikov only dropped one point all weekend, but then admitted that this is probably his last year as a full-time ice racer.

Krasnikov told the press that... "I am very pleased to win as it has been a very hard season for me. I had a few disappointments and didn't win meetings that I should have won. I have decided that this is going to be my final professional season. I will probably ride next year, but not full-time, and I may enter the World Championship, I don't know, but this is my final season".

2011 FIM Ice Speedway World Championship Overall Classification:

1st. Nikolai Krasnikov / Russia - 176 pts.
2nd. Igor Kononov / Russia - 153
3rd. Daniil Ivanov / Russia - 152
4th. Dmitri Khomitsevich / Russia - 145
5th. Vitali Khomitsevich / Russia - 108
6th. Dmitri Bulankin / Russia -  97
7th. Sergei Karachintsev / Russia -  89
8th. Ivan Ivanov / Russia - 85
9th. Frankie Zorn / Austria - 73
10th. Harald Simon / Austria - 72
11th. Stefan Svensson / Sweden - 68
12th. Günther Bauer / Germany - 64
13th. Antonin Klatovsky / Czech Republic - 54
14th. Grzegorz Knapp / Poland - 35
15th. Peter Koj / Sweden - 26
16th. Stefan Pletschacher / Germany - 20
17th. Mats Järf / Finland - 9
18th. Johnny Tuinstra / Netherlands - 7
19th. Max Niedermaier / Germany - 7
20th. Jan Klatovsky / Czech republic - 5
21st. Rene Stellingwerf / Netherlands - 3

Action from the first day at Inzell

Icy Racers - 1994

Action photo's from an Ice Speedway meeting;
St Johann, Austria, 1994

Antonin Klatovsky (Czech) - Winner.

Franz Schiefer and Joachim Wartbichler - the two "home" riders in action that day.

British Riders On The Ice - Pt2

Since my first post on British Ice Speedway Riders I've had quite a few e-mails and comments from fans and former riders either asking to see more or copying me in on some more photographs. Here's a second selection of riders, including some who were not featured in my first post. 

Richard Greer in action at the 1972 World Championship preliminary round at Grenoble, France where he finished in 11th place with 9 pts.  He rode again at Assen in February 1973 and also netted 7 points in the World Championship Semi-Final at the same Netherlands venue in 1974.
This photo was given to Terry Stone by Richard himself, and was posted on the yahoo oldtimespeedway forum in response to a query of mine.

Mark Uzell used to work in Swindon for Steve over at the SteveStockers blog, but he was forever taking months off in the Winter to go Ice Racing. Mark now lives in Sweden where he can ride his ice bikes whenever he wants.

Mark Uzell shows off those deadly spikes.
Photo's kindly supplied by Stevestockers

This action shot of Ian Pratt was taken during the 1983 World Championship Qualifier at Alkmaar, Netherlands. Ian scored 3 points and finished 13th. Ian was also an accomplished road racer having ridden in the 500cc World Championship Grands Prix from 1987 to 1990 and also raced on 4 wheels, competing in the British Ford Championships and FVL Championships from 1990 to 2006 and the Spanish F3 Championships during 2001. He was last heard of living in Sayalonga, Spain where he is now a singer/songwriter and signed to the Catabult label and Paramount of Nashville U.S.A.

Ian Pratt (GB) and Bruce Cribb (NZ) on parade at Alkmaar in 1983.

Reg Thomas and Shane Hearty looked after the British riders interests in the 1980s.
Here they are in the pits area at Assen in 1985.

Graham Halsall, Shane Hearty and Lee Pavitt at the 1988 World Championship preliminary round at Madonna di Campiglio, Italy. Lee finished 8th with 14 points and Graham finished 12th with 9 points.

Bruce Cribb in conversation with German ace Michael Lang.

Graham Halsall (yellow helmet) makes a blast around the outside.

Paul Evitts waiting to take to the ice at Eindhoven in 1986

LET'S WORK TOGETHER....

Everywhere that motorcycles are raced, you can be sure someone will have a go with a sidecar... just look at some of these excellent images from the past hundred years....

Grand Prix Sidecar Racing, France, 22nd June 1913

Flexi-sidecar outfits racing on American dirt-tracks in the 1920s

Programme for a beach race at Silloth, Cumbria in 1928.
The Sprint Sidecars featured on the cover have the passenger looking backwards -
Is that so the passenger can let the driver know when someone is catching them up?

Harold Jackson and J.W.Hackett at a Beach Race, Ernse Bay,Barrow-In-Furness, circa 1928.

Sidecar Scrambles in the 1940s

Grass Track racing from Warton Crags, Lancashire, 16th Sept 1956:
l-r: Jim & Millie Baybutt, Tom Parkinson & Eric Croft, Roy Cunliffe & P.Spencer.

How low can you go? Sidecar Grand Prix action - 1950s?

Sidecar Ice Speedway - Germany 1971.

Sidecar Trials

Paul Bickley & Paul Silvera on a 1000cc Grass Track Sidecar outfit - Southfields Farm, Appleby. October 2000.
(Photo by - MotoFreakoFoto)

500cc sidecar racing - Appleby-In-Westmorland, October 2000
(Photo by - MotoFreakoFoto)

This is Sidecar Ice Racing Canadian style Looks like a skateboard rather than a sidecar! 

Sidecar Ice Speedway in Germany

Sidecar MotoX - survival of the fittest!

Sidecar Speedway from the Sidecar Supercup, Workington 2002.
(Photo by - MotoFreakoFoto)

Masters Of The Ice...

This week I have mainly been watching some old films of Ice Speedway and reliving the Ice Speedway World Finals of years gone by - this sport must be the most dangerous and intense type of  motorcycle sport known to man and I love it. To learn more about the sport there is a brief overview of what it's all about here and you can read a history of Ice Speedway on the FIM site right here.

Now to share some of my photographs of the Ice Speedway World Champions of the past 40 years.

GABDRAKHMAN KADYROV - USSR:
An Ice racing legend and the very first World Champion in 1966.
He won another 5 titles in 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972 and 1973. He also won the FIM Cup in 1964.

BORIS SAMORODOV - USSR:
Another legendary Ice Racer - Winner of the FIM cup in 1963, European Champion in 1965 and World Champion in 1967.

ANTONIN SVAB - Czechoslovakia:
Celebrating victory in 1970.

MIROSLAV "MILAN" SPINKA - Czechoslovakia:
On top of the rostrum in 1974 flanked by Vladimir Tsibrov(2nd) and Gabdrakhman Kadyrov (3rd).

SERGEI TARABANKO - USSR:
Four consecutive victories in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978.
This picture was taken at Eindhoven in '79.

ANATOLI BONDARENKO - USSR:
The  1979 and 1980 World Champion flanked by Vladimir Ljubitsch (2nd) and Zdenek Kdruna (3rd)
(Photo by Stephan Jarivik)
* Anatoli's nephew Iliya Bondarenko will be seen on British shale in 2011 having signed to race for the new Premier League  Leicester Lions team. Watch out for this exciting Russian rider over the course of the new season.

BONDARENKO in action leading Hasse Johansson at Assen.

VLADIMIR LJUBITSCH - USSR:
Made it to the top of the rostrum in 1981

SERGEI KASAKOV - USSR:
Champion of the World in 1982 and 1983.
(Photos of Kasakov are copyright of John Hipkiss)

ERIK STENLUND - SWEDEN:
The first rider to break the Soviet domination. A worthy World Champion in 1984 and 1988.

YURI IVANOV - USSR:
Three times a winner 1986, 1987 and 1992.
(action photo by David Lowes)

NIKOLAI NISHENKO - USSR:
The 1989 World Champion sadly lost his life racing on the ice in 1993.
(Photo by Norbert Ockenga)

JARMO HIRVASOJA - Finland:
This Thrill-Merchant was Top of The World in 1990

SERGEI IVANOV - Russia:
Keeping it in the family, like his brother Yuri, Sergei became World Champion in 1991, but only after a thrilling run-off with Sweden's Per Olof Serenius. (photo by Klaus Goffelmeyer)

VLADIMIR FADEYEV - Russia:
Twice World Champion 1993 and 1999.
(Photo copyright of Ian Charles)

ALEKSANDR BALAZHOV - Russia:
Three times a Champion - 1994, 1996 and 1998
(Action Photo by Jan Janu)

ALEKSANDR BALAZHOV and VLADIMIR FADEYEV
Five World Titles between them.
(Photo by Norbert Ockenga)

PER OLOF SERENIUS - Sweden:
Posa finished runner up 1982, '91 and '94 before taking his first title in 1995 He won again in 2002 at the tender age of 54!
(Photo by Jan Janu)

KYRIL DROGALIN - Russia:
An exciting rider who has been World Champion on three occasions - 1997, 2000 and 2001.
(Photo by David S Lowes)

VITALIY KHOMITSEVICH - Russia:
On his way to the title in 2003

DIMITRI BULANKIN - Russia:
World Champion in 2004

NIKOLAI KRASNIKOV - Russia:
The new breed of Ice racer - Won his first title in 2005 at the age of 19 and has dominated the sport ever since. He has won 6 consecutive titles between 2005 and 2010 and will no doubt be there or thereabouts again this year. Ironically, he is also from the town of Ufa, the same town as 60s legends Samorodov and Kadyrov
(Photo from Motor Sport Aktuell)