Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme : FIM Ice Racing World Championship

Ice Gladiators Go East

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:53:00 +0100

FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship - Final 2, Ufa (RUS) 11th & 12th February.

With the Moscow round behind them, competitors now move 1500km to the east and to Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan. An oil producing centre the city has a long tradition of ice speedway and the Stadium Kadirov where the next round will take place is dedicated to one of the city's famous sons. Gabdrakhman 'Gabby' Kadirov who won the first ever FIM World Championship in 1966 and who died in 1993 was one of Russia's most popular track racers and won five more world ice race titles during his career before becoming a respected official and being awarded the FIM Motorcycle Merit Bronze Medal in 1990.

With a maximum temperature of -13o forecast the track could produce some interesting situations but there will be much for the local fans to enjoy. It is the home track of Nikolay Krasnikov and Dmitry Koltakov currently in second and fourth places in the championship and both will be hoping to improve their position in familiar surroundings. Daniil Ivanov will be looking to spoil their party and some close racing should result.

Wild Card for this round will be Stefan Svensson of Sweden a veteran who narrowly missed out in the Qualifying Round last month but whose experience might well upset the form of some of the younger racers. Permanent Wild Card René Stellingwerf, Holland's only representative will be looking to improve on his disappointing performance in Final 1.

After the major motor problems he suffered in Krasnogorsk, Frank Zorn has withdrawn from the Ufa round and returned to his workshop in Austria to carry out repairs. His place here will be taken by his compatriot Martin Leitner, the highest placed non-Russian substitute.

Riders and Draw:

BALLOT N°   RIDING NUMBER   RIDER   COUNTRY
1   10   Harald Simon    Austria
2   5   Eduard Krysov    Russia
3   13   Mats Järf    Finland
4   6   Sergey Karachintsev    Russia
5   15   René Stellingwerf    The Netherlands
6   16 (Wild Card)   Stefan Svensson   Sweden
7   8   Robert Henderson    Sweden
8   21 (Replace n°7)   Martin Leitner   Austria
9   4   Dmitry Khomitsevich    Russia
10   2   Daniil Ivanov    Russia
11   9   Grzegorz Knapp    Poland
12   12   Antti Aakko    Finland
13   1   Nikolay Krasnikov    Russia
14   11   Jan Klatovský   Czech Republic
15   14   Max Niedermaier    Germany
16   3   Dmitry Koltakov    Russia
17   Reserve   Vladimir Chapalo   Russia
18   Reserve   Dmitry Bulankin   Russia

Follow the FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship Live Timing
Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 February from 8.20AM (GMT) on FIM-LIVE.COM!

Copyright free pictures upon request for media use only

Photos FIM/Good-Shoot

Ivanov, boss of Krasnagorsk

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:10:00 +0100

With temperatures in Krasnogorsk rising to -8o, track conditions on day 2 of the first round had improved and spectators were treated to some exciting racing with the Russians again dominating the meeting.

Daniil Ivanov may be at the head of the leader board after today's meeting but the star of the afternoon was undoubtedly the current world champion Nikolay Krasnikov. He was involved in nearly every one of several good races and although his starting was an improvement from the previous day he was still giving his opponents a vital few centimetres at the gate. However he overcame this with some breathtaking passes and twice he came from behind to overtake Ivanov thrilling the crowd who had braved the Moscow winter weather.

In Heat 18 when the pair met Krasnikov having passed Ivanov, was unfortunate in suffering a machine failure on the third lap which cost him a valuable 3 points and left him punching his handlebars in frustration. Despite this setback he qualified for the Final where he again gave ground to Ivanov at the start but after stalking him for three laps he made a superb pass on the home straight to secure his position on the winners' rostrum. Sergey Karachintsev was third in the Final as a result of a daring dive underneath Dmitri Khomitsevich.

Krasnikov's battle with Ivanov seems likely to intensify during the course of the championships as he will maintain a strong challenge and is unlikely to concede his title without a fight. The current five points difference could very easily be eroded before the series ends.

Leading scores after Day 2:
1.   Daniil Ivanov       (Russia)    41 (21+20 points)
2.   Nikolay Krasnikov    (Russia)       36 (18+18)
3.   Dmitry Khomitsevich    (Russia)       29 (15+14)
4.   Dmitry Koltakov       (Russia)   27 (15+12)
5.   Sergey Karachintsev   (Russia)   23 (9+14)
6.   Vitaly Khomitsevich   (Russia)   23 (12+11)
7.   Eduard Krysov       (Russia)   22 (11+11)
8.   Harald Simon       (Austria)   17 (9+8)
9.   Antti Aakko       (Finland)   15 (7+8)
10.   Robert Henderson   (Sweden)      9 (6+3)

Battle resumes when Round 2 of the competition is held next weekend 11th and 12th February in Ufa and a preview with the draw will be published shortly on this website.

Ivanov on top in Krasnagorsk

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:18:00 +0100

In a temperature of -15°, Daniil Ivanov was the top man in the 2012 FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship Finals on Saturday, for the first day of the Krasnagorsk event. He rode to a maximum 21 points from his 7 races. Despite some of the coldest weather for many years in Moscow the meeting was able to go ahead although track conditions were not at their best and gate 1 was clearly the favoured start grid. Reigning champion Nikolay Krasnikov finished with 18 points and his poor starting resulted in some spectacular racing as he fought to come from behind in all his heats. Dmitry Khomitsevich was second in the Final and carries 15 points into tomorrow's round as does Dmitry Koltakov. A spectacular crash in Heat 18 saw Grzegorz Knapp and Mats Jarf clash on the final lap with both riders running into the safety bales. Thankfully they were able to walk away but Jarf was disqualified and the race awarded to the Pole. Only Austria's Harald Simon was able to match the home stars but a last place in the first semi-final brought his day's racing to an end. Leading scores after Day 1:
•Daniil Ivanov(Russia) 21 points
•Nikolay Krasnikov (Russia)18
•Dmitry Khomitsevich (Russia)15
•Dmitry Koltakov (Russia)15
•Vitaly Khomitsevich (Russia)12
•Eduard Krysov (Russia)11
•Harald Simon (Austria) 9
•Sergey Karachintsev (Russia) 9 The second day of the meeting will be held on Sunday commencing 13.00 Moscow time (10.00 Swiss time) and can be followed on the FIM-Live link http://www.fim-live.com where partners TAGHeuer will again be providing heat by heat results and lap times.

Follow Speedway Gladiators LIVE

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:11:00 +0100

Follow the FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators world Championship results online on the FIM homepage FIM-LIVE.COM The heats scores, results and timing will be online on Sunday at 13H00 Moscow time (10H00 Swiss time)

History of Ice Racing

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:30:00 +0100

It is quite difficult to know with precision when and where someone had the idea of putting a motorcycle on ice. This was obviously held in countries where climatic conditions allowed this practice. The first records of racing on ice date from 1924 in Sweden; in the early 30s, motorcycles with a low frame had the tyres fit with short studs, skidding a bit sideways in the curves. Races were held on tracks designed on frozen lakes. Then longer studs were used, allowing the rider to be faster and to take very low angles in curves… This was introduced in a race in Stockholm in 1933. Ice Racing appeared then just before the Second World War in the Soviet Union – first as a demonstration in 1938, then in March 1939 in the first official competition in Moscow.

After the war, national Championships developed in Scandinavia and the USSR and spread to some central Europe countries such as Czechoslovakia and Germany. Enjoying a great popular success in several places – mainly in Scandinavia and the USSR – international meetings started to be organised in the late 50s with 500cc machines mounted in frames adapted from Speedway machines, while national Championships were also run in other classes (125cc, 350cc, sidecars).

In 1961 international events were organised in Ufa and Moscow with riders from Finland Sweden, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. The Swede Bjorn Knutsson (runner-up in the Speedway World Final that year and future Speedway World Champion in 1965) won the Series. Later, the events held in Helsinki and Stockholm were won by Soviet rider Boris Samorodov, from the city of Ufa.

The first FIM Cup was then organised in 1963, gathering riders from the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Finland. Five races took place in the USSR and five others in Sweden and Finland. The winner was Boris Samorodov. With such a success the competition became a European Championship in 1965, organised in 5 elimination meetings and five finals (the four best results counting towards the Championship), all of them held in the Soviet Union. Again the winner was Boris Samorodov; he was followed by a rider who was to become the greatest Ice Racing rider of all times: Gabdrakhman Kadyrov.

KADYROV ON TOP

The European Championship became a World Championship in 1966, with semi-finals held in Leningrad and Novosibirsk, and finals in Ufa and Moscow – all events held over two series of heats, one on Saturday evening, the other on Sunday afternoon. Grabdrakhman Kadyrov clinched his first title, ahead of Victor Kuznetsov and Czechoslovakian Antonin Svab. Boris Samodorov, 5th in 1966, took the title back in 1967, but it was to be his last one. Kadyrov then dominated the Ice Racing scene until 1973. In 1968, he won his second title. In 1969, the Championship was run over one final event only - won by Kadyrov. In 1970, the final was held for the first time outside the USSR, in Nässjö, Sweden, and it was the first title for a non-Russian rider: Antonin Svab finished with the maximum of points, 15, one more than Kadyrov, as he had won their direct confrontation in heat 4. The Swede Kurt Westlund ended in third position. Then Kadyrov was back at the top for three consecutive years: in 1971 in Inzell (West Germany), Nässjö in 1972, and in 1973 in Inzell again – Inzell would become a traditional venue for Ice racing events.

In 1974, in Nässjö, another Czechoslovakian rider, Milan Spinka, dominated the final winning all his races and clinching the World title ahead of Russians Zibrov and Kadyrov.

Then riders from the Soviet Union would dominate Ice Racing competitions for many years. In 1975 in Moscow, a new generation of Russian riders showed up at the top: Sergei Tarabanko won four consecutive titles from 1975 to 78, and Anatoli Bondarenko two in 1979 and 1980.

TEAM COMPETITION INTRODUCED

Team competitions had already been organised since the 60s - when, at the initiative of the Russian Federation, an Ice Racing World Championship for Teams was introduced in 1979. Obviously, the Russians were big favorites and their individual domination would be repeated in the team contest. In 1979 they had the three World best riders, Tarabanko, Bondarenko and Gladychev. For some years, even changing one or another rider, the result did not change. But in 1983, a big surprise came from the German team, composed of Max Niedermayer, Helmut Weber and Günther Brandt, who won the title in Berlin, followed by the Swedish team, the Russians being only third – their worst result ever.

In the Individual contest, 1981 was the turn of Vladimir Liubitsch, while Sergei Kasakov, after various runner-up placings, clinched two titles, in 1982 and 1983. In 1984 the final was held in Moscow, but the Swedish rider Erik Stenlund spoiled the party, winning in front of Suchov and Ivanov. In the Team final, held in Deventer (Netherlands), the USSR and Sweden were even at the end; the Russians won the run-off. The Swedes would have their revenge in 1985, winning easily in front of the USSR.

In the Individual Championship, though, the Soviet domination was back: Vladimir Suchov won his third title in Assen. Stockholm welcomed the 1986 final and the spectators were expecting a second title for their star Erik Stenlund. But it was time for Yuri Ivanov to get the first of his three World titles; Vladimir Suchov was second and Stenlund third. The second title of Yuri Ivanov was clinched in Berlin in '87. But Erik Stenlund was still a match winner: in 1988 in Eindhoven, he fought back against the Russians and beat them all, clinching his second individual World title.

The Russians confirmed a year later that they were still the best Ice Racing riders: Nikolai Nishenko took his turn in 1989 on the brand-new ice facility built in Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan), In 1990 things changed again: Finn Jarmo Hirvasoja won the title in the final held in Gothenburg, Then four consecutive titles went to Russian riders. In 1991 it was the turn of Sergei Ivanov (Yuri's brother). In 1992 in Frankfurt Yuri Ivanov won his third title. In 1993 the final was held again in Russia: Saransk saw the victory of Vladimir Fadeev, ahead of Alexander Balashov.

The Russian reaction also came in the Team Championship after the loss of the 1985 final: the Russian team won all Team finals from 1986 until today except two of them. In 1995, their usually strongest opponents, the Swedes, won again, lead by veteran Per-Olov Serenius, fact that they repeated in 2002. But that is all so far: until 2009 everything went to Russia.

INDIVIDUAL GRAND PRIX SYSTEM

1994 marked a big change in the history of Ice Racing; a new running system, which was under study for several years, was finally put in place. The World Final was replaced by a Series of events known as Ice Racing Grand Prix – with two exceptions, in 1997 and 2000 when one World Final was held. Each Grand Prix kept the same formula as the World Final, one event held on Saturday night and the second on Sunday afternoon. Four final heats were held additionally deciding the final placings four by four, from 16th place to the first one. Alexander Balashov won his first title, ahead of Per-Olov Serenius and a young Russian rider Viacheslav Nikulin. 1995 was the year for Sweden: Per-Olov Serenius won the Individual Grand Prix Series and Sweden won the Team final one point ahead of Russia. One year later it was Russia's response, with five of their riders taking the first five places: Balashov, Polikarpov, Nikulin, Fadeev and Lumpov. They also clinched the Team World title. In 1997, Russian rider Kyril Drogalin won the title in Assen in a one-event World Final (the Russian team also won the Team title in Berlin). Alexander Balashov won his second title in 1998, Drogalin was second and Nikulin third. In 1999 Fadeev won a strong battle with Balashov and clinched his second World title, Nikulin finishing once again in third place.

Kyril Drogalin won his second title in 2000, once again in a single World Final held in Assen, one point ahead of the new strongest non-Russian rider, Austrian Franz Zorn. As from 2001, the Grand Prix system was maintained and Drogalin took his third World title. In 2002, Per-Olov Serenius, then aged 54 years, clinched his second World title in the very last race in Inzell against Viacheslav Nikulin. German rider Günther Bauer won his first Grand Prix that year and in 2003 fought for the title until the very last race. The crown finally went to the young Russian rider Vitaly Khomitsevitch, just ahead of Bauer. In 2004 another young Russian, Dimitry Bulankin, took the crown, and from 2005 until now the World Champion has been Nikolai Krasnikov, from Russia, of course.

by Marc Pétrier

Captions from top to bottom:

Start of a national Championship race in Moscow in 1961. © MFR

The most impressive thing in Ice Racing : the spikes…© MFR

The six World titles clinched by Gabdrakhman Kadyrov are a record number only equaled in March 2010 by Nikolai Krasnikov. © MFR

The Russian Yuri Ivanov (left) was World Champion three times (1986, 1987, 1992) & Swede Per-Olov Serenius twice, in 1995 and 2002. © FIM/Marc Pétrier

Welcome to Russia!

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:38:00 +0100

The 2012 FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship Finals begin. Sixteen of the world's best Ice racers will gather in Russia this weekend to begin their quest for the 2012 FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship.

The first round of the Final Series will be held over two days at the Zorkiy Stadium in Krasnogorsk near Moscow and the draw has now been made:

Ballot   N° Rider      Country
1      5   Eduard Krysov    Russia
2      7   Franz Zorn        Austria
3   3   Dmitry Koltakov    Russia
4         11   Jan Klatovský   Czech Republic
5        10   Harald Simon    Austria
6        2   Daniil Ivanov    Russia
7       9   Grzegorz Knapp    Poland
8       16 Vitali Khomitsevich   Russia
9        14   Max Niedermaier    Germany
10        8   Robert Henderson    Sweden
11        1   Nikolay Krasnikov    Russia
12         15   René Stellingwerf    The Netherlands
13        4   Dmitry Khomitsevich    Russia
14       12   Antti Aakko        Finland
15       6   Sergey Karachintsev    Russia
16       13   Mats Järf         Finland
17        Reserve   Andrey Gavrilkin Russia
18       Reserve   Maxim Lushnikov Russia

The favourite for this round and, perhaps for the whole series, must be current World Champion Nicolay Krasnikov. Last year in Inzell, Germany, after winning his seventh consecutive title he announced that he would no longer compete for the World title but a change of heart, prompted perhaps by his success in the Russian Championship where he finished as runner-up, saw his enthusiasm return. He confirmed this by heading the qualifiers with an impressive unbeaten 21 points in Poland and he appears to be relishing the prospect of a record-breaking eighth title when the series ends in Sweden in April.

There are six Russian qualifiers for the series, the maximum allowed under FIM rules, and the five who are snapping at the heels of Krasnikov will be keen to impress. With literally hundreds of ice racers in Russia, competition is fierce and to achieve a top six place through the domestic championships is no easy task. Daniil Ivanov will be fired up to reproduce his success in the Russian Final where he beat Krasnikov in a run-off for the title and his Togliatti team mate Dmitry Khomitsevich will also be looking for a successful start to the series. With brother Vitaly as Wild Card for this meeting to provide some sibling rivalry and Eduard Krysov, winner of the qualifier in Lukovitsy also in the line up, racing will be fast and furious.

It has been a turbulent season for ice racing in Sweden this year as emphasised by the fact that, with veterans Serenius and Svensson failing to make the cut, Robert Henderson is their only qualifier. Along with Finns Antti Aakko and Mats Järf he has performed well in Swedish Elite League but all three will have to work hard to match the Russians. Similarly, Austrians Zorn and Simon will have to be at their best to achieve a podium place.
Poland's Grzegorz Knapp wins a surprise but deserved place after his performance in Sanok and Max Niedemaier is Germany's only representative. Dutchman René Stellingwerf has been nominated by F.I.M as the permanent Wild Card after his spirited performance in St.Johann.

The two reserve riders nominated by the Russian Federation are Andrey Gavrilkin and Maxim Lushnikov. They will be ready to make a good show if they have a chance to go.

F.I.M. Official in control for this meeting will be GP Referee Craig Ackroyd from Great Britain making his first visit to Russia and Jury President is Andrzej Grodzki from Poland. As usual there will be two meetings, the first on Saturday evening at 18.00 followed by a Sunday afternoon 13.00 finale. Practice is on Friday afternoon.

Photos Good-Shoot

FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship - Qualifiers

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:26:00 +0100

As anticipated, the Russians were again dominant in the Qualifying Rounds for the FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship held last weekend.
In St.Johann, Austria they filled the first 3 places but the local riders Franz Zorn and Harald Simon took the remaining qualifying spots. A surprise elimination was that of 'Posa' Sernius the veteran from Sweden who never recovered from a first race disqualification and withdrew after gaining only one more point from his next two rides.

The Sanok round produced one of the big surprises of the competition when Gregorz Knapp secured a podium place by finishing 3rd behind defending champion Nikolai Krasnikov and Daniil Ivanov.

In Lukhovitsy, home riders filled the first 4 places with the unfancied Eduard Krysov winning the final from Makarov, Karachintsev and Kononov.

The final list of qualifiers is shown below and takes into account the fact that no one country is allowed more than 6 representatives at any meeting in the Final Series. This means that Russians Vitaly Khomitsevich and Igor Konokov are relegated to the qualified substitutes list and can race only as a replacement for an injured Russian colleague.

Qualified Riders:
1. Nikolay KrasnikovRussia
2. Daniil Ivanov        Russia
3. Dmitry Koltakov    Russia
4. Dmitry Khomitsevich    Russia
5. Eduard Krysov        Russia
6. Sergey Karachintsev    Russia
7. Franz Zorn        Austria
8. Robert Henderson    Sweden
9. Grzegorz Knapp    Poland
10. Harald Simon        Austria
11. Jan Klatovský       Czech Republic
12. Antti Aakko        Finland
13. Mats Järf        Finland
14. Max Niedermaier    Germany
15. René Stellingwerf    The Netherlands   (Permanent Wild Card nominated by FIM)

Qualified Substitutes are:
19. Vitaly Khomitsevich *   Russia
20. Igor Kononov *       Russia
21. Martin Leitner       Austria
22. Stefan Svensson       Sweden
23. Stephan Pleschacher   Germany
24. Fredrik Olsson       Sweden
25. Joakim Soderstrom   Sweden
26. Fredrik Johansson   Sweden
27. Josef Kreuzberger   Austria
28. Janne Vilponen        Finland

*for injured Russian riders only

The First event in the Final series will take place in Kranogorsk, Russia next weekend, 4th & 5th February. Details of the riders and the starting numbers draw will be published here shortly.

Photos FIM/Good-Shoot

Let Battle Commence

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:04:00 +0100

The FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship kicks off this weekend with the Qualifying Rounds for the Final series. Rounds will be held on 28th January in Austria, Poland and Russia with only 14 riders moving on to the Final Series so tough competition can be expected and the draw has thrown up some interesting clashes.

Former international racer Toni Pilotto is among the organisers of Round 1 at Saint Johann in Austria where there are 9 countries represented. Local riders Franz Zorn and Harald Simon will command the greatest local support but they are likely to be stretched to the limit by the presence of Russians Dmitry and Vitaly Khomitsevitch along with Dmitry Koltakov, strongly tipped as a possible champion this year. Zorn, fresh from winning the first round of the Golden Spikes competition in Weissenbach last weekend, was European Champion in 2008 and is one of the few riders who have been close to challenging the Russian supremacy in this sport over recent years. Veteran Simon has been riding for Kamensk Ural in the Russian Superleague this year so will have some recent experience of the Russians' form and at 45 will be keen to emulate his younger compatriot. Sweden is represented by Fredrik Olsson and veteran 'Posa' Serenius, who had decided to sit out this year's competition. At the last minute, "Posa" stepped in for Per-Ander Lindström who had a crash last weekend. The Swedish duo may both be suffering a lack of practice as a result of the curtailment of the Swedish leagues caused the recent mild weather. The lack of ice resulted in the cancellation of the Swedish Individual Championship meeting at Malilla on Saturday.

Round 2 will be held in Sanok now established as a regular venue and the only track currently in Poland. A surprise entry is that of current World Champion Nikolay Krasnikov who last year indicated his retirement but who has now found his enthusiasm again and will be looking to win the title again for an unprecedented 8th successive time. He can expect fierce opposition from compatriot Daniil Ivanov who beat Krasnikov in a run off for the Russian Championship in Togliatti earlier this month and who will be looking for a repeat performance here. The Czech Republic is represented by Petr Klauz and Jan Klatovsky. Despite their dominance in conventional speedway, Poland is still emerging as an Ice Racing nation and their three representatives will do well to make an impression on the top names here this year.

Lukhovitsy in Russia is about 85 miles from Moscow and hosts the 3rd Qualifying Round for the first time at the Spartak Stadium. The cosmopolitan field looks an interesting one with Finn Antti Aakko, Max Niedermaier from Germany and the experienced Swede Stefan Svensson. The Russians look likely to dominate again here with Igor Kononov and Sergey Karachintsev, 4th and 5th in the recent Russian Championships, favourites to secure a passage into the Final rounds.

The top 5 riders from the St Johann and Sanok rounds will join the 4 leaders from the Lukhovitsy meeting plus 1 Wild Card and 1 other nominated by FIM, in the Final Series which starts at the Zorkiy Stadium in in Krasnogorsk, Russia on 4th and 5th February.

FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:18:00 +0100

The FIM rejuvenates the Ice Racing series with a new name and a new logo.

As from 2012, the FIM Ice Racing World Championships become FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championships.

2012 Calendars

FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World ChampionshipDate - Event - Venue - Country
28/01 - Q.Round 1 - St. Johann - Austria
28/01 - Q.Round 2 - Sanok - Poland
28/01 - Q.Round 3 - Lukhovitsy - Russia
04-05/02 - Final 1 - Krasnogorsk - Russia
11-12/02 - Final 2 - Ufa - Russia
16-17/03 - Final 3 - Assen - Netherlands
31/03 - 01/04 - Final 4 - Uppsala - Sweden

FIM Team Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship Date - Event - Venue - Country
25-26/02 - Final - Togliatti - Russia

Nikolai Krasnikov the Great

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:43:00 +0200

The FIM Ice Racing World Championship Final 4 was held in the new Max-Aicher-Arena in Inzell (Germany) that was sold out on both days. There was about 6500 spectators on Saturday and Sunday watching some spectacular races in Inzell.

The reigning FIM world champion Nikolai Krasnikov showed an impressive presentation of his superiority on the Ice.

The visitors were overvelved of the excinting races. The russian riders dominated both events who could nearly reached the 100 km/h in the Ice Arena.

The winner of the meeting, and also the new World Champion iss Nikolai Krasnikov from Russia. The battle was tight for the silver medal won by Igor Kononov (153 pts) followed by Daniil Ivanov (152 pts)

2011 FIM Ice Racing World Championship Overall Classification:

01. nikolai krasnikov / rus / 176
02. igor kononov / rus / 153
03. daniil ivanov / rus / 152
04. dmitri khomitsevich / rus / 145
05. vitaly khomitsevich / rus / 108
06. dmitri bulankin / rus / 97
07. sergey karachintsev / rus / 89
08. ivan ivanov / rus / 85
09. franz zorn / aut / 73
10. harald simon / aut / 72
11. stefan svensson / swe / 68
12. günther bauer / ger / 64
13. antonin kaltovsky / cze / 54
14. grzegorz knapp / pol / 35
15. peter koj / swe / 26
16. stefan pletschacher / ger / 20
17. mats järf / fin / 9
18. johnny tuinstra / ned / 7
19. max niedermaier / ger / 7
20. jan klatovsky / cze / 5
21. rene stellingwerf / ned / 3

Ice Racing - Assen

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:20:00 +0100

A moment of madness on Saturday, and a third place in Sunday's A Final means that Nikolai Krasnikov will go to Inzell for the final rounds of the World Championship with a slender 6 point lead over Danil Ivanov.

In Saturday's A Final, Krasnikov and Igor Kononov battled for the full four laps for the lead. As they exited the fourth turn, they were side by side in the run to the finish. Both were banging elbows and as Kononov edged ahead to take the win, Krasnikov lost control of his machine, parting company with it. He slid the length of the home straight as prompt action by third placed Danil Ivanov and fourth placed Dmitri Khomitsevich prevented Krasnikov from any injury. Despite getting the 20 Championship points Krasnikov remonstrated with the referee believing Kononov should have been excluded.

Of the Western riders, Austrian Harald Simon qualified for the Saturday B Final, and became only the second rider to break the Russian stranglehold on the top spots.

On Sunday, Kononov was unbeaten but in heat 32 he lost control trying to pass Vitalli Khomitsevich, and both riders ended up in the straw bales. He was excluded and a further fall in Heat 40 stalled his challenge for the title, as he was only able to qualify for the B Final.

Danil Ivanov was the winner of Sunday's A Final, with Togliatti team mate Dmitri Khomitsevich holding out Krasnikov to take second. This puts the younger of the Ivanov brothers in a position to spoil Krasnikov's seventh consecutive title bid.
Franz Zorn had a welcome return to form, scoring 10 points in the heats and his second in the B final will give him confidence for the final rounds in Inzell.

Wild Card Rene Stellingwerf fell in the D Final on Saturday and was unable to compete on Sunday due to a cracked vertebra.

The final rounds are in Inzell, Germany on 26th/27th March.

RESULTS:

SATURDAY ROUND 5: (Russia unless stated. Heat scores in brackets)
D Final: Antonin Klatovsky (Czech Rep) (3), Sergei Karachintsev (3), Peter Koij (Sweden)(0), Rene Stellingwerf (Holland) (2) (fx)
C Final: Grzegorz Knapp (Poland) (5), Stefan Svensson (Sweden) (5), Gunther Bauer (Germany) (6), Franz Zorn (Austria) (6)
B Final: Dmitri Bulankin (12), Harald Simon (Austria) (9), Ivan Ivanov (7), Vitalli Khomitsevich (10) (fx)
A Final: Igor Kononov (14), Nikolai Krasnikov (14), Danil Ivanov (12), Dmitri Khomitsevich (12)

SUNDAY ROUND 6: (heat scores in brackets)
D FINAL: Knapp (3), Mats Järf (Finland) (1), Stefan Pletschacher (Germany)(0), Klatovsky (3)
C FINAL: Bulankin (6), Simon (7), Bauer (7), Svensson (4)
B FINAL: Kononov (9), Zorn (10), I. Ivanov (10), Karachintsev (9)
A FINAL: D. Ivanov (14), D. Khomitsevich (12), Krasnikov (13), V. Khomitsevich (12)

Standings: (After 6 Rounds)
Krasnikov 126, D. Ivanov 118, D. Khomitsevich 113, Kononov 113, Bulankin 74, I. Ivanov 70, V. Khomitsevich 66, Karachintsev 63, Svensson 55, Simon 50, Zorn 48, Bauer 46, Klatovsky 40, Knapp 29, Koij 23, Pletschacher 17, Järf 9, Tuinstra 7, Stellingwerf 3

Text & Pictures: Ian Charles

Koltakov takes Roloef thijs Cup

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 13:01:00 +0100

19 year old Dmitri Koltakov was the winner of the Roloef Thijs Cup in Assen, wirth a display that was head and shoulders above the rest of the field.In the GP Style Knock out event, the current Russian Junior Champion made his meeting debut in Heat 14, and not only won the heat, but by the first turn he was four bike lengths ahead of the others, and and as he crossed the finish line, he was a good half lap ahead of second placed Tommy Flyktman of Sweden.Koltakov won Heat 18 in similar style, and was leading the second semi final (Heat 22) by a considerable distance, when Austria's Martin Posch fell causing a re-run.Koltakov only appeared to struggle in the Final, when he appeared to miss the start, but managed to nose his way in front by turn two, and then proceeded to leave the other finalist standing. Koltakov was so far ahead of the others in the final that the battle between Sweden's Robert Hendersen and Finn Kai Lehtinen went almost unnoticed by the fans, as they stayed almost side by side for the race. Hendersen managed to get the drop on Lehtinen on the final turn to take second, with Lehtinen third and Czech Champion Andrej Divis in fourth.The other Russian in the meeting, Eduard Krysov made an impressive start leading his opening heat when on the third lap he was barged by Sweden's Patrik Sohlberg on the home straight. Krysov was stretched off the track and took no further part in the meeting.The two home riders, Dutchmen Gerrit Schukken and Simon Reitsma made a great impression on the Dutch fans in their debut at Assen, Both have put together impressive performances in their first season in Ice Racing, and they certainly gave the home fans plenty to cheer about as they defeated much more experienced riders.

Text Ian Charles

RESULTS
1. Dmitri Koltakov (Russia),
2. Robert Hendersen (Sweden),
3. Kai Lehitenen (Finland),
4. Andrej Divis (Czech Rep),
5. Fredrick Johansson (Sweden),
6. Fredrick Olsson (Sweden),
7.Martin Posch (Austria),
8. Patrik Sohlberg (Sweden),
9. Tommy Flyktman (Sweden) and Christoph Kirchner (Germany)
11. Franz Mayerbrucher (Germany) and Max Neidermaier (Germany)
13. Simon Reitsma (Holland) and Martin Leitner (Austria)
15. Gerrit Schukken (Holland) and Eduard Krysov (Russia)
17. Petr Klaus (Czech Rep) and Pawel Strugala (Switzerland)
19. Lukas Voljnik (Czech Rep) and Simon Gartmann (Switzerland)
21. Marian Kreklau (Germany) and Jo Saetre (Norway)
23. Ronny Haring (Switzerland) and Miroslaw Daniszewski (Poland)

Russian on the Top

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:47:00 +0100

Last weekend, the strongest sportsmen from Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Poland, Sweden and Russia fought to be named the strongest riders on the planet during two tough days of the 2011 FIM Ice Racing World Championship Final 2

Many ice racing lovers and experts were not surprised at all that it was Russian riders who were in the lead during the both days of the competition because the Russian ice racing school has been the best one for eight years in such kind of competitions.

The viewers have witnessed a truly beautiful and unforgettable sports celebration they had been waiting since the last winter. Top riders of the world demonstrated their skills on the ice arena of one of the most modern and specialized stadiums – The stadium by Anatoly Stepanov.

On the first day of the competition vice-world champion Daniil Ivanov was on the top of the podium. He takes the 3rd place up to the last two finals with 75 points. Daniil's teammate Dmitri Khomitsevich – Champion of Russia 2011 – took the 2nd place. Current World Champion Nikolay Krasnikov got the cup for the 3rd place.

The second day for the rider from Ufa was more successful as he took the 2nd place. As for his total sum of points he is still in the lead with 88 points. Dmitri Khomitsevich became the winner of the Sunday race. He is on the second place in the general race report up to the last two finals. Igor Kononov got the 3rd place during the second day of the competitions. He is just the 4th overall.

Age of Ice part 1- Russia

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:00:00 +0100

The first final of the 2011 FIM Ice Racing World Championship was held this weekend in Krasnogorsk, Russia.

The World's best riders hit the ice in this fascinating and stunning sports. 20'000 spectators watched Nikolay Krasnikov defending his title. Losing no points, claiming the maximum 50 points during both days, Krasnikov made a great birthday present to himself (on 4th of january he turned 26).

Intermediate classification:

1   KRASNIKOV Nikolay - RUS - 50
2   KONONOV Igor - RUS - 40
3   IVANOV Daniil - RUS - 34
4   KHOMITSEVICH Dmitri - RUS - 32
5   KHOMITSEVICH Vitali - RUS - 30
6   IVANOV Ivan - RUS - 25
7   BULANKIN Dmitri - RUS - 25
8   KARACHINTCEV Sergey - RUS - 21
9   SVENSSON Stefan - SWE - 19
10 BAUER Gunter - GER - 19
11 SIMON Harald - AUT - 15
12 ZORN Franz - AUT - 13
13 KOIJ Peter - SWE - 11
14 KLATOVSKY Antonin - CZE - 9
15 KNAPP Grzegorz - POL - 8
16 PLETSCHACHER Stefan - GER - 8
17 TUINSTRA Johnny - NL - 3
18 JARF Mats - FIN - 0

Krasnikov - the king!

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:35:00 +0100

Current ice racing World Champion Nikolay Krasnikov dominated qualifying round number 2, which took place at Blonie track in Sanok, Poland. The promotion to Grand Prix also went to other Russian riders: Daniil Ivanov and Igor Kononov as well as Swedish veteran Stefan Svennson and Polish local hero, Grzegorz Knapp.

In the additional heat for the 6th place Antonin Klatovsky jr won with Florian Furst. The fascinating meeting was watched by 3500 spectators at Sanok's stadium and millions due to the live TV broadcast on Polish national Television. The organisers of the qualifying round were very satisfied with the audience, weather and the brilliant level of fair racing. The competition lasted less than two hours and this fast pace was appreciated by the referee, Mick Bates.

General classification:
1. N. Krasnikov (3,3,3,3,3) 15
2. D. Ivanov (3,3,2,3,3) 14
3. S. Svensson (3,2,3,2,3) 13
4. I. Kononov (2,3,3,2,2) 12
5. G. Knapp (2,3,3,1,2) 11
---
6. A. Klatovsky jr (2,2,R,1,3) 8+3
---
7. F. Furst (3,2,2,0,1) 8+2
8. M. Posch (X,1,2,3,1) 7
9. T. Flyktman (1,1,1,3,0) 6
10. S. Holstein (1,2,1,X,2) 6
11. M. Daniszewski (2,R,R,2,1) 5
12. H. Malinen (1,0,2,1,0) 4
13. R. Hutla (0,1,1,0,2) 4
14. J. Kreuzberger (0,1,0,2,1) 4
15. J. Seppanen (1,0,1,0,0) 2
16. C. Gadeyne (0,0,0,1,0) 1
17. P. Klauz – N/S

Ice Racing - Krasnikov 6 times in a Row

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:02:00 +0100

The last event in the series of 2010 FIM Ice Racing World Championship took place at Berlin-Wilmersdorf in Horst-Dohm-Eisstadium right in the heart of Berlin. Like many places in Europe Berlin too had suffered a very severe winter which was suddenly ended by mild spring with a lot of heavy rain.

Despite those weather-conditions 9.000 spectators followed the thrilling races at both days.

On Saturday an unusual amount of crashes delayed the event. Chayka and Ivan Ivanov were sent to hospital. Fortunately they were released the same evening. Ivanov even tried to start on Sunday, but retired after his first heat.

On Saturday Nikolai Krasnikov won the A-Final and hereby assured his first position in the WC. The second day Daniel Ivanov came first in A-Final and became by this second in WC, followed by Dimitri Khomitsevich, Kononov and Vitaly Khomitsevich. Franky Zorn of Austria on rank 6 turned out to be best rider from outside Russia. Though the winner was already fixed before Sunday, the races at the second day were nevertheless thrilling.

At the end of the day the sun began to shine and so the prize-giving ceremonies for the day as well as for the World Championship took place in a nice dawn atmosphere.

C. Brucke

Final Classification

Photo credit: speedway.org

2010 FIM Ice Racing World Championship Finals, Assen 13th and 14th March 2010

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:25:00 +0100

Barring a major disaster in Berlin next weekend, Nikolai Krasnikov looks set to claim his sixth consecutive World Championship, after another superb display in Assen. Despite dropping a point to Danil Ivanov on Saturday, and then chasing Franz Zorn home to finish second in his opening ride on Sunday, Krasnikov made no mistakes in both A finals, to claim the Maximum 50 Championship points.

Danil Ivanov finished second on both days, despite a full maximum on Saturday, he couldn't find the extra speed to pass Krasnikov in the A Finals, whilst third placed Igor Kononov showed why he is tipped for greatness, after two third places and some amazing performances in the heats.

Franz Zorn found the going tough on Saturday night, only managing a third in the B Final, but after beating Krasnikov in the fastest time of the weekend on Sunday, he was on course for a maximum, when he was barged by Dmitri Khomitsevich in heat 33 and finished second. Zorn made his feelings known to Khomitsevich as the riders made their way back to the pits at the conclusion of the heat. He made it to the A final and was challenging Kononov when his bike ground to a halt before the end of lap 1.

Home rider Sven Holstein, who lives close to the Assen track, had a nightmare on Saturday where he simply failed to score. On Sunday he had a better day scoring 3.

But in the subsequent D Final, he was in a good position as the riders entered the first turn, when they bunched together and Holstein was thrown into the straw bales with Pavel Tschajka. The referee ordered all four back, but Holstein was injured which throws his appearance in Berlin into doubt.

But the honour of unluckiest rider must got to Sweden's Per-Anders Lindström, who was injured in the Innsbrück round. He sat out Saturday's racing as reserve, but in his opening ride on Sunday, he led for the first three laps, when fellow Swede Stefan Svensson passed him on the inside, forcing Lindström wide. He hit a rut and collected Nikolai Kaminsky taking him into the straw bales. Whilst Kaminsky walked away from the crash, Lindström seriously aggravated his knee and was forced to withdraw from the meeting. His appearance at Berlin is also doubtful, as he has been ordered by the track doctor to rest his knee.

RESULTS: (Heat Scores in Brackets, Russia unless stated)
SATURDAY
D Final: Pavel Tschajka (4), Harald Simon (Austria) (3), Antonin Klatovsky (Czech Rep) (2), Sven Holstein (Holland) (0)
C Final: Stefan Svensson (Sweden) (6), Nikolai Kaminsky (Ukraine) (4), Grzegorz Knapp (Poland) (7), Günther Bauer (Germany) (5)
B Final: Vitalli Khomitsevich (11), Antti Aakko (Finland) (8), Franz Zorn (Austria) (11), Ivan Ivanov (fx) (7)
A Final: Nikolai Krasnikov (14), Danil Ivanov (15), Igor Kononov (12), Dmitri Khomitsevich (11)

SUNDAY
D Final: Tschajka (6), Simon (RES) (2), Jan Klatovsky (Czech Rep)(2), Holstein (f) (3)
C Final: A. Klatovsky (3), Kaminsky (5), Aakko (6), I. Ivanov (ef) (7)
B Final: D. Khomitsevich (12), Svensson (7), Bauer (0), V. Khomitsevich (f) (9)
A Final: Krasnikov (14), D. Ivanov (13), Kononov (13), Zorn (ef) (13)
Also rode: Per-Anders Lindström - fx, withdrew.

Standings: (After 7 Rounds):
Nikolai Krasnikov 166, Danil Ivanov 141, Dmitri Khomitsevich 116, Igor Kononov 115, Vitalli Khomitsevich 95, Franz Zorn 90, Stefan Svensson 75, Antti Aakko 73, Günther Bauer 68, Pavel Tschajka 67, Ivan Ivanov 51, Antonin Klatovsky 37, Nikolai Kaminsky 37, Harald Simon 30, Jan Klatovsky 25, Sven Holstein 23, Grzegorz Knapp 22, Per-Anders Lindström S 9

By Ian Charles

Ice Racing returns to Assen

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:50:00 +0100

If it's March, then it's time for the spikebikes to hit the Ice in Assen!

The weekend of March 11th - 14th 2010 sees the annual and most popular Ice Racing Event of the year, in the Dutch province of Drenthe, as Motorclub Assen stage Final 4 of the 2010 FIM Ice Racing World Championship Series, and International Ice Racing for the Roelof Thijs Cup. Fans from all over Europe pack out the Stadion 'De Bonte Wever' (DeSmelt) for the racing, where they are closer to the action than anywhere else!

On Friday evening, the rising stars of Ice Racing compete in the 24 heat knockout event for the Roelof Thijs Cup, sponsored by the Former Dutch Ice Racing Number 1. The riders include two European Champions Russians Andrei Shishegov and 18 year old Sergei Karatchinsev, competing against riders from Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden and Holland.

On Saturday Evening and Sunday Afternoon, the World Championship competitors do battle, with defending World Champion Nikolai Krasnikov aiming to retain his title for a record breaking SIXTH consecutive year. But he won't have it easy, as Austrian Franz Zorn, German Günther Bauer and Swede Stefan Svensson will be out to spoil Krasnikov's chances!

Fans can also attend Practice and Training for all the events, with the Stadium open on Thursday Evening and Friday Morning.

Full Weekend programme:

Thursday 11th March - 19.00hrs: Practice - Roelof Thijs Cup

Friday 12th March - 09.00hrs: Practice - World Championship

Friday 12th March - 19.00hrs: Roelof Thijs Cup - 24 heats

Saturday 13th March - 18.35hrs Parade

19.00hrs 24 Heat World Championship

Sunday 14th March - 13.35hrs Parade

14.00hrs 24 Heats World Championship

Here is the line up:

1 KLATOVSKY Antonín - ACCR, Czech Republic
2 KONONOV Igor - MFR, Russia
3 ZORN Franz - OeAMTC/OSK, Austria
4 KHOMITSEVITCH Vitali - MFR, Russia
5 KNAPP Grzegorz - PZM, Poland
6 BAUER Gunther - DMSB, Germany
7 SVENSSON Stefan - SVEMO, Sweden
8 KRASNIKOV Nikolay - MFR, Russia
9 SIMON Harald- OeAMTC, Austria
10 AAKKO Antti - SML, Finland
11 KAMINSKYY Nikolay - FMU, Russia
12 KHOMITSEVITCH Dmitri - MFR, Russia
13 IVANOV Daniil - MFR, Russia
14 HOLSTEIN Sven - KNMV, The Netherlands
15 IVANOV Ivan - MFR, Russia
16 CHAYKA Pavel - MFR, Russia
17 KLATOVSKY Jan - ACCR, Czech Republic (Reserve Rider)
18 LINDSTROM Per Anders - SVEMO, Sweden (Reserve Rider)

Results from Innsbruck - Age of Ice

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:37:00 +0100

After long and awkward preparations the passionately awaited Ice Speedway Weekend in Innsbruck was at long last on the events calendar.

The 18 best Ice Racing riders descended on the city of Innsbruck, host to the 1964 and 1976 Olympic Winter Games.

Unfortunately the training on Friday began with a fall of the stadium speaker who broke a leg and had to be operated on in the University Clinic that same evening.

Moreover, the training had to be broken off after the third heat as the stadium management had not built up enough ice. Unfortunately the required thickness could not be achieved in some places on the Saturday evening either, so that the Jury was forced to cancel the races for this day.

On Sunday the races could then be started according to plan under a cloudless sky and with snow-covered mountains. Exciting races were held before an enthusiastic crowd in a wonderful stadium and on good ice.

As could be expected, the Russian riders were superior and succeeded in taking places one, two and three.

Here are the results

Results of Saransk

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:00:00 +0100

Day one of the 2010 FIM Ice Racing World Championship Final II provided a surprise when the current FIM World Champion Nikolay Krasnikov fell and was disqualified from the Final A having been unbeaten during the Qualification Heats. This left the way clear for his main rival Daniil Ivanov to claim victory to close the championship race. Igor Kononov took the second place and Dmitry Khomitsevich was third.

On day 2, however, Krasnikov reconfirmed his position as the world leading ice rider with a relatively comfortable victory over Vitaly Khomitsevich. His main rival in the Championship Daniil Ivanov finishing third. Best non-Russian rider was Franky Zorn from Austria who would have been better placed had it not been for engine problems on the second day.

Results and Intermediate Classification

Photo credit: "Stolitsa S"