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Russian national sport - Hot stoves in the ice arena

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Created on December 24, 1969

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Daredevil duels are one of the main attractions of this sport. During the races, you can clearly see that the machines have more track than on the sand track. Crashes can, of course, be critical.

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The "Russian national sport" - two-wheeler racing on an icy circuit

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With momentum into the ice curve: The enterprising community of Inzell has no trouble filling the artificial ice stadium for such an event.

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The "armor" of an ice speedway rider may look improvised, but it has proven its worth.

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28mm long spikes are screwed into rasped motorcycle tires. Air pressure: 3.5 atü

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The sturdy linkage covering the wheels provides protection in the event of a collision.

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Summary

Ice racing with motorcycles, known as "speedway" in English, was already very popular in the 1960s. Especially in countries with long and cold winters, these racing events had long since become a kind of popular sport. The races with two-wheelers in particular were able to inspire more and more Germans and attracted masses of visitors. This hobby report sheds light on the winter sport, its origins and the machines that were used. An organizer and the "ice ace" were also interviewed.

This article contains the following chapters

Ice racing on the Eibsee - with cars!
Russians as favorites on two wheels
Warming up vehicles with blowtorches
Large crowds of visitors to the 1969 world championship final
Sport - combined with artistry
An interview with Germany's 'ice ace' Peter Knott
Interview with organizer Nömeier

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Mirror-like, perfectly flat ice surfaces have always attracted people to use them for sporting purposes. Children skate on them before venturing out on ice skates, ice shooting is a popular sport in the Alpine countries, people play ice hockey or whizz across the shiny surfaces on sledges. About four decades ago, motor sports enthusiasts discovered the ice as a race track. The older ones among you will certainly remember how popular the ice races on Lake Eibsee were in the 1920s. These races were held with cars, and we have them to thank for an invention that gives us general safety in winter today, namely the spikes that make ice racing possible in the first place.

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